Polk County Inmate Population
The Polk County inmate population is anchored by Polk County Jail, a direct-supervision adult jail operated by the Polk County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Kevin J. Schneider. The jail opened on November 1, 2008, on a 40-acre site north of Des Moines. County materials describe a 325,000-square-foot building with on-site kitchen, laundry, and medical services. The official capacity is 1,500 beds, with the jail designed so it can expand by another 1,000 beds if future inmate-population growth requires more space.
Not every person connected to Polk County custody appears in one list. The adult jail roster covers current sheriff custody, recent bookings, recent releases, and a released-inmate search for the prior 365 days. The county portal also warns that people with federal charges are not listed. Sentenced Iowa prison inmates move into the Iowa Department of Corrections system. Immigration detainees may require ICE tools, and federal prison custody uses the Bureau of Prisons locator. Juvenile detention and community corrections facilities serve separate populations and should not be read as the adult jail count.
Polk County Inmate Population Statistics
Polk County publishes unusually detailed jail data through the Jail Analytics Dashboard. The county describes that dashboard as a monthly public view of jail population trends, bookings, releases, common offenses, demographics, and related measures. The source data reviewed for this build showed a refresh timestamp of June 1, 2026. Those figures are useful because they separate total custody from non-federal custody, sentenced and unsentenced groups, gender, and the federal population held in or tied to the jail count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 total in custody | 1,170 | Polk County Jail Analytics Dashboard monthly population CSV |
| April 2026 non-federal custody | 1,033 | Polk County Jail Analytics Dashboard monthly population CSV |
| April 2026 monthly average | 1,021 | Polk County Jail Analytics Dashboard monthly population CSV |
| May 2026 bookings | 1,508 | Polk County Jail Analytics Dashboard bookings CSV |
| May 2026 releases | 1,537 | Polk County Jail Analytics Dashboard release counts CSV |
| Iowa Correctional Institution for Women FY2024 ADP | 675.34 | ICIW FY2024 annual report |
The county dashboard source is the best visual source for Polk County inmate population trends.
The dashboard matters because it adds context that the jail roster cannot provide, including monthly population totals, bookings, releases, demographic counts, and common booking charges.
Polk County Inmate Population Trends
The dashboard trend series shows that the Polk County inmate population moved within a fairly tight range from spring 2025 through spring 2026. Monthly average custody rose from 1,006 in April 2025 to 1,081 in September 2025, then declined to 973 in January 2026 before rising to 1,021 in April 2026. The April 2026 total in custody was below the jail's 1,500-bed rating, but the count still included several subgroups, such as federal population, people awaiting transfer, sentenced inmates, and unsentenced people waiting on case action.
| Month | Total In Custody | Monthly Average | Federal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04 | 1,199 | 1,006 | 158 |
| 2025-09 | 1,212 | 1,081 | 132 |
| 2026-01 | 1,083 | 973 | 142 |
| 2026-04 | 1,170 | 1,021 | 137 |
Bookings and releases also explain why a roster search may change fast. May 2026 had 1,508 bookings and 1,537 releases, which means many Polk County jail records stay active for a short time and then shift to a release list, a court docket, a DOC record, or no current-custody result at all.
Who Is in Polk County Custody
May 2026 booking demographics show the local custody flow into Polk County Jail. The dashboard counted 1,402 booking demographic records that month. Race counts included 915 White records, 434 Black records, 36 Asian records, 4 American Indian records, 5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander records, and 8 unknown records. Gender counts were 1,023 male and 379 female. Ethnicity data listed 1,187 non-Hispanic or not Latino records, 178 Hispanic or Latino records, and 37 unknown records.
Age data for May 2026 clustered most bookings in the 20 through 49 range. The largest single age group was 30-39, with 399 records, followed by 20-29 with 380 records and 40-49 with 318 records. Length-of-stay data showed 811 stays under 24 hours, while 202 stays fell in the 31-90 day range and 91 stays reached 91 days or more. Those long-stay cases can affect the Polk County inmate population even when daily bookings and releases look balanced.
- Unsentenced people: April 2026 listed 894 unsentenced people, much more than the 156 sentenced count.
- Federal population: The federal count ranged from 120 to 158 in the months reviewed.
- Common May 2026 charges: Violation of probation, OWI first offense, public intoxication, and driving while barred led the list.
- Arrest sources: Des Moines Police, the Polk County Sheriff's Office, West Des Moines Police, Ankeny Police, and Urbandale Police all fed bookings into the jail.
Polk County Inmate Population Laws
Iowa law explains why jail and booking data may be public while some records remain limited. Iowa Code chapter 22 creates the baseline right to inspect and copy public records unless another law makes a record confidential. Iowa Code section 22.7 lists confidential exceptions, including peace officer investigative reports and protected personal data. That is why a roster entry can be public while investigative notes, victim details, health information, or protected juvenile data may be withheld.
Key access rules:
Iowa Code section 692.1 defines arrest data, including charge, date, time, place, and outstanding warrants.
Iowa Code section 692.2 governs dissemination of criminal history data and limits some arrest data without disposition after 18 months.
Iowa Admin. Code 201 chapter 50 sets jail facility and operation standards for Iowa jails.
Iowa Admin. Code rule 641-127.3 recommends autopsy review for certain deaths in jail, prison, correctional, or police custody.
Search Polk County Inmate Records
The official Polk County Inmates portal is the starting point for adult jail custody. It links current inmates, bookings in the previous 24 hours, prior-date bookings, releases in the previous 24 hours, prior-date releases, and released-inmate search for the previous 365 days. The portal is free and does not require a login. Its own notices say jail arrest records are not proof of guilt, should not be relied on for legal action, and do not provide court disposition.
- Open the Polk County Inmates portal or the county jail and arrest information page.
- Use Current Inmate Listing for a person believed to be in Polk County Sheriff custody.
- Check the 24-hour and prior-date booking lists for a recent arrest, then read the Active or Inactive status.
- Click View to open the inmate detail page for booking number, case number, charges, bail, location, and IowaVINE link when present.
- If the person is released, use the release lists or the released-inmate search by name or inmate number.
- If the person has federal charges, state prison custody, or immigration custody, use the federal, DOC, ICE, USMS, or phone channels instead.
Polk County Jail Roster Fields
The current inmate list does not work like a single name-search box. It presents a table of current sheriff custody with a View link, name, age, and book date. Booking and release lists use similar table fields, and the released-inmate search adds forms for name or inmate number. That structure is useful because readers can move from the broad list into one profile, then compare the jail record with Iowa Courts Online when formal charges or disposition matter.
| Portal area | Field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Inmates | View | Profile link | Opens the detail page. |
| Current Inmates | Name, Age, Book Date | Roster identity and intake time | Name appears in last, first middle format. |
| Bookings | Status | Active or Inactive | Helps show whether the booking is still active. |
| Releases | Released Date | Release timing | Used on previous 24-hour and prior-date release lists. |
| Released Inmate Search | First Name, Last Name | Name search | Covers released inmates in the previous 365 days. |
| Released Inmate Search | Inmate Number | Number search | Useful when a prior profile or notice gave the inmate number. |
Polk County Inmate Record Details
A public Polk County inmate detail page can include a booking photo endpoint, IowaVINE registration link, demographics, holding location, booking data, court or case identifiers, bail information, and charge rows. A booking charge is an allegation tied to jail intake or court filing. It is not the same thing as a conviction. The county states that case disposition must be verified through Iowa Courts Online, because the sheriff's roster does not decide guilt, dismissal, plea, sentencing, or final court outcome.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot / inmate photo | Booking image when available on the detail page. |
| Inmate number | Person-level jail identifier. |
| Holding location | Public abbreviation such as PCJ for Polk County Jail. |
| Booking number and date | Jail intake event and time. |
| Case number and case date | Court or case-linked information tied to the booking. |
| Bail amount and type | Listed release amount and form, such as cash bond, if shown. |
| Charge details | Count number, class, code, statute, and charge description. |
Polk County Jail vs DOC
Polk County Jail, Iowa DOC custody, BOP custody, ICE detention, and USMS federal pretrial custody are different systems. A person arrested in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Altoona, or another Polk County city may be booked at the Polk County Jail even if the arresting agency was not the Sheriff's Office. Once a person receives a state prison sentence, the lookup changes to the Iowa DOC Offender Search. Women sentenced to Iowa prison may be received at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville.
| Custody type | Where to look | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Adult county jail | Polk County Inmates portal | Current sheriff custody, bookings, releases, and released search. |
| Sentenced Iowa prison or community corrections | Iowa DOC Offender Search | State prison and DOC community custody, including Fifth District and ICIW. |
| Federal prison | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present. |
| Federal pretrial | USMS Southern District of Iowa | Federal detainees and courthouse custody questions. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | A-number or biographical search, plus facility confirmation. |
| Release notice | IowaVINE / VINELink | Custody and release notification when linked from a profile. |
The Iowa DOC Offender Search screenshot below shows why state custody is a separate channel from the county jail roster.
DOC records can be searched by name, offender number, sex, location, offense, county of commitment, and name search mode, which gives a better path for sentenced state custody than the county roster.
Polk County Records Requests
When a record is not in the portal, the official fallback is the Polk County Sheriff's Office records request page or the county's online records request portal. The records page lists online, mail, in-person, and phone request routes. Mail and in-person requests go to Polk County Sheriff's Office, Attention: Jerry Noble, 5995 NE 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50313. The records request phone is (515) 286-3313, and the named records contact hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Fees may apply. The official page lists $5.00 for police incident reports, vehicle accident reports, dispatch logs, and animal control reports. It lists $35.00 for in-car video, security camera footage, photos, and 911 call or communication audio. Requests taking more than one hour may add $35.00 per hour, and requests over 10 pages may add $0.25 per extra page. Confidential records, child victim data, intelligence data, registered victim information, health information, and investigative material can be withheld under Iowa law.
Polk County Detention Facilities
The Polk County inmate population is not one building and not one custody status. The adult jail is the main local roster facility. Juvenile detention is separate and court ordered. State prison and work-release facilities use Iowa DOC channels. Federal and immigration custody can overlap with the jail but may not appear in the public county portal.
- Polk County Jail - Adult county jail for pretrial defendants, local sentenced inmates, and some agency holds.
- Polk County Juvenile Detention Center - Secure youth detention for ages 11-17 by Juvenile Court order.
- Iowa Correctional Institution for Women - State prison and reception/intake center for sentenced women.
- Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Complex Building 65/66 - DOC Fifth District residential, work-release, and community corrections facility.
- Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Complex Building 68 - DOC Fifth District community corrections and residential placement.
- Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Complex Building 70 - DOC Fifth District work-release and community corrections setting.
- Fresh Start Women's Center - Women-focused Fifth District community corrections placement.
Polk County Jail Programs
The jail is also a services and transport hub. County materials note a transportation function for outside medical appointments, trips to and from state institutions, and retrievals from agencies around Iowa and the country when Polk County charges are pending. Official program pages list Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, educational groups, parenting programming, Planned Parenthood women's health, Primary Health Care Homeless Outreach by request, NaphCare substance abuse education, chaplain services, and pastoral visits through video terminals.
Local context matters because it affects release planning and jail population pressure. Polk County and the Sheriff's Office collaborated with Bridges of Iowa in 2012 to use unoccupied jail-building space for an out-of-custody substance-abuse treatment program. The stated goal was to reduce repeat offending by using community-based alternatives to incarceration. The county also notes an inmate release handbook, an on-site clothing closet, and bus tokens for indigent inmates upon release.
Polk County Sheriff App
The official Polk County Sheriff's IA app is listed in the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app is described as a communication tool for area residents, with public safety news, tips, crime reporting, and other interactive features. Research did not confirm an app-only inmate roster or warrant search, so custody lookup should still start with the Polk inmate portal, jail phone at (515) 323-5400, records request, Iowa DOC, IowaVINE, Iowa Courts Online, BOP, ICE, and USMS channels.
Polk County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Polk County inmate population?
The April 2026 dashboard count listed 1,170 total in custody and a monthly average of 1,021. The official jail capacity is 1,500 beds, with expansion capacity noted by Polk County. The count changes as arrests, bond decisions, releases, transfers, and federal holds move people in or out of the jail population.
How do I search Polk County inmates?
Use the Polk County Inmates portal for current inmates, recent bookings, recent releases, and released inmates from the previous 365 days. If the person is not listed, call the jail at (515) 323-5400, use the sheriff records request process, and check Iowa DOC, Iowa Courts Online, IowaVINE, BOP, ICE, and USMS as the facts require.
Are federal inmates on the Polk County roster?
Not always. The county portal warns that inmates with federal charges are not listed. Federal prison custody belongs in the BOP locator. Federal pretrial custody may involve the U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of Iowa, and immigration custody may require the ICE locator plus the jail phone.
Where are court dispositions found?
The sheriff portal does not provide case disposition. Formal charges, case status, court dates, pleas, dismissals, and sentencing outcomes should be verified through Iowa Courts Online or the Polk County Clerk of Court.
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