Sheriff’s Office

The Office of the Sheriff

was instituted when the State of Iowa was granted Statehood in 1846. As the only elected law enforcement officer, the Office of Sheriff is unique in that the Sheriff is directly accountable to the people. The first Polk County Sheriff, Thomas Mitchell, took the Oath of Office on April 3, 1846. Our current Sheriff, Bill McCarthy, was elected by the Citizens of Polk County in November 2008, and took the Oath of Office on January 2, 2009.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Polk County Sheriff's Office is to preserve the integrity of the law through proactive community involvement, impartial enforcement, and secure custody of inmates. The Office will utilize advances in technology to detect and solve crimes and enhance public safety communications and will effectively use all available resources to protect and serve the public.

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Monday, April 30, 2012
Results From Citstf Project On April 20, 2012

Violation                                             Citations, Total of 82             Warnings, Total of 168 Seat Belt 7 3 Child Restraint       …

Thursday, April 19, 2012
Update: Robbery At Git-N-Go On Nw Aurora And Nw 2Nd St.

New Information:          Tips have linked a vehicle to the robbery at a Git-N-Go Station last week.  Detectives are asking for information regarding a gold-c…

Friday, April 13, 2012
Robbery At Git-N-Go On Nw Aurora And Nw 2Nd St.

According to witnesses, a man brandished a handgun and demanded money at about 11:56 p.m. Wednesday night, April 11, at a Git-N-Go station.  They indicated…

Friday, April 13, 2012
Update: Semi Collides With School Bus; 2 Taken To Local Hosp…

The driver of the semi-truck, Irfan Dervisevic, a 37-year old resident of Louisville, Kentucky, was given a citation for failing to stop in a sure and clea…

The Polk County Jail is a 325,000 square-feet facility that sits on 40 acres of land just north of Des Moines. The jail holds inmates and detainees facing state and federal charges.
The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services throughout Polk County. The Sheriff's Office is the responsible agency for unincorporated Polk County, the cities of Alleman, Bondurant, Elkhart, Grimes, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers at Saylorville Lake and the Polk County Courthouse.
The Communications Center is the lifeline that connects citizens with emergency services. It is the responsibility of the Communication Specialists to determine the nature and urgency of each call and route it to the proper response unit as quickly as possible.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office Training Division has responsibility for the professional development of staff.
The Civil Division is responsible for receiving, processing and serving civil and criminal court orders and legal documents.
The Administration Division provides a variety of management and support services for the entire Sheriff's Office.
The Office of Planning and Development is responsible for providing professional services internally.
Citizens have the right to expect the Sheriff's Office to provide law enforcement services that are fair, effective and impartially applied.
The Polk County Jail is seeking Certification through the American Correctional Association. The Office of Standards & Compliance coordinates and leads this effort.

Contact Us

Polk County Sheriff
1985 NE 51st Place
Des Moines, Iowa 50313

Administration: (515) 286-3814
Civil
: (515) 286-3800
Communications
: (515) 286-3333
Jail: (515) 323-5400
Law Enforcement
: (515) 286-3306