Polk County Arrest Records

Arrest records in Polk County are created by law enforcement agencies to document details of people’s arrests within the county. They often include details like the alleged offense, the arrested individual's personal information, the arresting agency, and the place of the arrest. Law enforcement agencies typically hold arrestees in custody at the Polk County Jail until their court appearance.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Public Safety, and city police departments in the county create arrest records. Polk County court records and inmate records also contain arrest information.

Are Arrest Records Public in Polk County?

Yes. Arrest records in Polk County are available for public access unless they are exempted by law. Per the Iowa Open Records Act, any interested party can request most arrest records from record custodians. Record custodians, such as the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Polk County Sheriff’s Office, maintain these records and make them available to the public upon request. However, some information may be redacted from public disclosure to protect sensitive information or maintain the integrity of ongoing investigations. This includes:

• Juvenile arrest records
• Information that can compromise active investigations
• Information that can affect the safety of individuals involved in an investigation
• Indictments
• Sensitive personal information, including social security numbers and driver’s license number
• Expunged records

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Polk County arrest records typically contain the following information:

• The arrested person’s personal information, including full name, gender, date of birth, address, height, and race
• Arresting agency
• Booking number
• Arrest charges
• Booking date
• Location of arrest
• Arrestee’s mugshot
• Date of arrest
• Arrest warrants

Polk County Crime Rate

All Iowa law enforcement agencies are mandated by Iowa Code § 692.15 to submit crime and arrest data. Submissions are made to the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, which is used to generate annual statistics and reports.

According to the report, law enforcement agencies in Polk County reported 28,884 index crimes in 2024. Of that number, 390 were crimes attempted but not completed, while 28,494 were completed. A breakdown of specific offenses, showing both attempted and completed instances, is provided in the table below.

Polk County Arrest Statistics

The arrest distribution report for Polk County, published by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, shows that 9,753 arrests were made in 2024. Of that number, 3,980 were arrests for persons taken into custody, 1721 were arrests for people cited or summoned, while 4,052 were on-view arrests. Below were the most frequent offenses resulting in arrests in Polk County that year.

• Driving Under the Influence: 1,369 arrests
• Shoplifting: 1,380 arrests
• Drug/Narcotic Violations: 1,349 arrests
• Simple Assault: 1,094 arrests
• Aggravated Assault: 481 arrests

Find Polk County Arrest Records

Polk County provides daily arrest records online. The record shows arrests booked in the county within the previous 24 hours. In addition, a current listing of inmates in the county jail is available to the public online through the Polk County Inmates platform. Inmate records are public official documents that provide arrest information such as the arrestee's name, charges, and bond details. Record seekers can also visit the Sheriff’s Office to examine arrest and inmate records.

In addition, anyone can access the Federal Bureau of Prisons BOP Inmate Locator to search for details of inmates incarcerated in federal prisons. They will need the prison identifying number or the offender’s name to search on the platform.

Free Arrest Record Search in Polk County

There are official Polk County arrest records search platforms that can be accessed at no cost. These include:

• Polk County Bookings in the previous 24 Hours
• Polk County Inmates
• BOP Inmate Locator

Furthermore, individuals interested in obtaining free Polk County arrest records can use free third-party websites that provide such services. These sites offer access to arrest information from court records, inmate records, and criminal records in the county. However, unlike official platforms, third-party websites may not contain accurate or current data. Users should independently verify information obtained from them.

Get Polk County Criminal Records

Polk County criminal records include information on arrests, charges, incarceration, pleadings, convictions, and judgments. Polk County criminal records are generated by law enforcement agencies such as the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and city police departments.

In Iowa, the Iowa Department of Public Safety is the designated custodian for criminal records for all the counties in the state, including Polk County. Anyone can request Polk County criminal records from the DPS by email, mail, fax, online, or in person. Persons requesting Polk County criminal history online must complete and submit the fillable Criminal History Record Check Request form. They must also provide payment details for the request on the attached billing form. Each name search cost $15.

Individuals making requests by email, mail, or fax can complete the fillable forms online and download them or download blank request forms and manually complete them. They must then email, mail, or fax both forms to the DPS at:

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
Support Operations Bureau Dissemination Unit
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
Fax: (515) 725-6080

A person interested in submitting their request in person can visit the DPS office between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on weekdays. If they are submitting a request where they are the subject of the search, they can get their result on the same day, provided they present a government-issued ID to prove their identity. Processing may take up to 3 days for other request submission methods.

Polk County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

In Polk County, arrest records only form a portion of an individual's criminal records. Both records are different, and they provide different information. An arrest record is created at the time of a person's arrest and does not indicate whether the person is guilty of the crime. On the other hand, criminal records are generated after an individual's conviction of a crime.

Typically, a Polk County arrest record contains information about a person’s arrest, such as the arrested person’s personal information, alleged crime, date of arrest, location of arrest, and the arresting agency. In contrast, criminal records contain, in addition to arrest information, other details such as court proceedings, convictions, sentencing, and any other contacts an individual has with the criminal justice system. Criminal records are used for background criminal checks, while arrest records are mostly useful for law enforcement purposes.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Polk County, arrest records will typically remain on record unless it is expunged. However, arrests involving minors are sealed and inaccessible to the public.

Expunge Polk County Arrest Records

Expungement of arrest records in Polk County means the removal of an individual’s arrest records from publicly available databases and securely saving them in a database out of the reach of the general public. Although the records still exist, only authorized persons may access them. Arrest records can be expunged in Polk County under very stringent conditions.

Expungement Eligibility criteria

The following conditions are the eligibility criteria to expunge arrest records in Polk County:

• A minimum of 180 days have passed after an individual’s acquittal
• A minimum of 180 days have passed after a person’s case was dismissed, provided the dismissal was not due to the defendant being declared to be incompetent to stand trial or by reason of insanity
• A minimum of 2 years have passed after being convicted of intoxication or consumption of alcohol in a public place, provided there are no other convictions aside from misdemeanor traffic offenses
• A minimum of 8 years have passed after being convicted of an eligible misdemeanor, and there are no pending criminal trials or other convictions, including two or more deferred judgments

Persons granted deferred judgments are entitled to automatic expungement of their records once they successfully complete their probations and pay all associated costs

Expungement application procedure

In Polk County, persons interested in expunging their arrest records must apply for expungement except for arrests that resulted in deferred judgments. To apply for expungement:

• Obtain criminal record from the Division of Criminal Investigation under the Department of Public Safety
• Download and complete the Application to Expunge Court Record form
• Submit the completed form to the Polk County District Court or any other court where the case was tried

Polk County Arrest Warrants

In Polk County, arrest warrants are official documents issued by a court judge that permit law enforcement officials to arrest and detain a person for committing a crime. A law enforcement officer must file a complaint before a judge with details of an offense and sufficient evidence to prove that an individual committed the offense. The judge will issue an arrest warrant if the evidence is enough to establish probable cause that the individual committed the crime. A typical Polk County arrest warrant contains the following:

• The name of the person to be arrested, if known
• The description of the person
• Warrant number
• A description of the alleged crime
• The date the warrant was issued
• The court that issued the warrant
• The signature of the issuing judge

Polk County Arrest Warrant Search

Interested persons may find Polk County arrest warrants on the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Inquiry portal. The portal provides active arrest warrants in the county. An individual may also visit the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to search for active arrest warrants.

Do Polk County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, arrest warrants generally do not expire in Polk County. They remain active until the subjects of the warrants are taken into custody or the court cancels them.