Domestic Abuse
Domestic Abuse Unit
The Polk County Attorney’s Office designed and implemented the Domestic Abuse Unit in March of 1991. This Unit was established to address the difficult issues involved in the prosecution of domestic abuse. The Unit’s mission is to prosecute perpetrators of domestic abuse and to hold them accountable for their actions while providing support and assistance to victims of the violence and their children.
The Unit handles indictable misdemeanor, simple and felony related offenses. The Unit is staffed by full time personnel which includes a Legal Assistant, Victim Liaison, Legal Secretary, and three Assistant County Attorneys.
If you have questions regarding a domestic abuse incident or case you may contact the Unit at (515) 286-3737.
Domestic Abuse Court
During the Spring of 2001, the Polk County Attorney’s Office, in cooperation with the judges of the Fifth Judicial District and the Clerk of Court’s Office, collaborated to establish a plan to set up a Domestic Abuse Assault Court. The intent of designing the new Court was to obtain efficiencies in the processing of Domestic Abuse cases and to provide a consistency in court decisions.
On July 2, 2001, the Domestic Abuse Assault Court began to hear cases. All Arraignments, Pre-trial Conferences, Violations of No-Contact Orders, and Requests for Modification of No-Contact Orders are held in this Court. There is one judge assigned to the courtroom and he or she will be addressing domestic abuse cases exclusively at the designated hearing times.