The Office of 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. Read Sheriff’s Bio
Mission Statement
The mission of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is to preserve the integrity of
the law through proactive community involvement, promoting inmate diversion programs
and maintaining secure custody of inmates. The Office will utilize advances in technology
to detect and solve crimes, enhance public safety communications and above all else,
effectively use all resources available to this Office to protect and serve the
public.
“PCSO-5k Nature Run"
Joint Citizens Academy
Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Des Moines Police Department’s 6th Joint Citizens Academy
September 7th – November 16th , 2010
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Des Moines Police Department would like to announce our upcoming Citizen’s Academy.
This will be our 6th Citizen’s Academy under the direction of Sheriff Bill McCarthy and Chief Judy Bradshaw.
We invite you to submit your application to be considered for this one of a kind learning experience.
You will see all facets of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Des Moines Police Department from an insider’s perspective.
You will be able to experience traffic stops, crime scene investigation techniques,
a tour of the new Polk County Jail and even have the opportunity to ride with on-duty officers and deputies.
The Citizen’s Academy will begin September 7th, 2010 and graduation will be November 16, 2010.
Classes are scheduled to be held each Tuesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Des Moines Regional Academy,
located at 433 E. Army Post Road in Des Moines.
Applications are available at the Polk County Sheriff’s Training Office –
2309 Euclid Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50310 - Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
Completed applications should be forwarded to the Training Division at the above mentioned address by August 6, 2010.
Please call Sgt. Brent Long at 875-5630 should you have any questions.