Polk County Jail Roster Overview
The official inmate roster is the Polk County Inmates portal, linked from the county jail and arrest information page. It covers current inmates in Polk County Sheriff custody, bookings from the previous 24 hours, bookings by prior date, releases from the previous 24 hours, releases by prior date, and a released-inmate search for the previous 365 days. The jail is operated by the Polk County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Kevin J. Schneider, and the main jail information phone is (515) 323-5400.
The county roster is not a full criminal-history database. Polk County states that jail records of arrest are not proof of guilt, should not be relied on for legal action, and do not provide case disposition. The Sheriff's Office also warns that inmates with federal charges are not listed. That means an absent name can point to release, transfer, state prison, federal pretrial custody, immigration detention, another agency's facility, a spelling issue, or a case that has not yet appeared online.
Fast rule: use the Polk County roster for current local adult custody, Iowa Courts Online for case disposition, Iowa DOC for sentenced state custody, and BOP, ICE, or USMS for federal custody.
Use the Polk County Inmate Roster
The roster path depends on the timing of the arrest or release. A current-custody search starts with Current Inmate Listing. A very recent arrest may appear first in Bookings Previous 24 Hours or Bookings Prior Date, where the table also shows Active or Inactive status. A person who has already left custody may appear on the release lists or in the released-inmate search by name or inmate number. If the person was sentenced to state prison or has a federal charge, do not treat the county roster as the only source.
- Open the official Polk County Inmates portal and choose the list that matches the custody question.
- For active jail custody, scan Current Inmate Listing by name, age, and book date.
- For a recent arrest, check the previous 24-hour booking list and prior-date booking list.
- Click View to open a detail page with the booking number, inmate number, holding location, charges, bail fields, and IowaVINE link when shown.
- For a person no longer in custody, use releases and the released-inmate search for the previous 365 days.
- If the record still does not appear, call the jail, file a sheriff records request, or check DOC, Iowa Courts Online, BOP, ICE, USMS, and IowaVINE channels.
Polk County Roster Search Fields
The Polk portal uses several list and form fields rather than one universal search screen. Current inmates and recent booking lists are table based. The released-inmate search has a name form and an inmate-number form. These fields help distinguish a live jail record from a recent booking, prior-date booking, or release record.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Inmates - View | table link | optional | Opens the inmate detail page. |
| Current Inmates - Name | table column | n/a | Displayed as LAST, FIRST MIDDLE. |
| Current Inmates - Age | table column | n/a | Numeric age. |
| Current Inmates - Book Date | table column | n/a | Observed format is MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM. |
| Bookings - Status | table column | n/a | Values observed include Active and Inactive. |
| Releases - Released Date | table column | n/a | Date and time of release. |
| Released Inmate Search - First and Last Name | text | unspecified | Searches released inmates from the previous 365 days. |
| Released Inmate Search - Inmate Number | text | unspecified | Searches by the inmate number from a prior record. |
Polk County Inmate Profile Fields
A Polk County inmate profile is a booking and custody record, not a final court judgment. The public profile inspected during research included a booking photo endpoint, IowaVINE link, name and identifying fields, jail identifiers, holding location, booking and case data, arrest agency, bail amount and type, and charge rows. The charge line can include class, code, statute, and description. Formal case outcomes still belong in Iowa Courts Online.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot / inmate photo | Front-facing booking image when available through the detail photo endpoint. |
| IowaVINE link | Registration path for custody and release updates on that inmate. |
| Name and inmate number | Person name in last, first middle format and the jail person identifier. |
| Age and descriptors | Age, hair, eye color, race, sex, height, and weight fields. |
| Holding location | Public jail location abbreviation, with PCJ observed for Polk County Jail. |
| Booking number and date | Booking event identifier and intake date/time. |
| Case number and case date | Case-linked fields tied to the booking record. |
| Arrest agency | Agency abbreviation for the arresting or submitting law-enforcement agency. |
| Bail amount and bail type | Listed release amount and form, such as cash, when shown. |
| Charge details | Charge number, count, class, code, statute, and description. |
County State Federal Inmate Lookup
Most failed jail roster searches come from using the right name in the wrong system. Polk County Jail holds adult pretrial defendants, local sentenced inmates, people in short-term sheriff custody, and some agency holds. Sentenced state prisoners move into the Iowa Department of Corrections. Federal prison custody uses the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal pretrial custody can involve the U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of Iowa. Immigration detention uses the ICE locator, and ICE facility information for Polk County Jail should be confirmed with the jail phone when needed.
| Custody | Where to Look | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Current adult county jail | Polk County Inmates portal | Current sheriff custody and local bookings. |
| Released from Polk County Jail | Release lists and released-inmate search | Previous 24 hours, prior date, and prior 365 days. |
| Formal court case | Iowa Courts Online | Charges filed, hearings, disposition, and case status. |
| Sentenced Iowa prison or DOC supervision | Iowa DOC Offender Search | State prison and DOC community corrections. |
| Federal prison | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | A-number or biographical detainee search. |
| Federal pretrial | USMS Southern District of Iowa | Federal detainee and courthouse custody channel. |
| Notification | IowaVINE / VINELink | Release and custody updates when linked from the profile. |
The BOP Inmate Locator is separate from Polk County inmate records and should be used only for federal prison custody.
That distinction matters because Polk County's own portal says inmates with federal charges are not listed, even when federal custody has a local connection.
Polk County Jail Facilities
The main adult jail is the Polk County Jail at 1985 NE 51st Place in Des Moines. It is the facility tied to the public adult jail roster and the jail information phone at (515) 323-5400. The jail opened in 2008, has 1,500 beds, is described by the county as a direct-supervision facility, and provides on-site kitchen, laundry, and medical services. The public lobby is listed as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Polk County Jail
1985 NE 51st Place
Des Moines, IA 50313
(515) 323-5400
Adult jail roster, booking, release, and jail phone channel.
Polk County Sheriff's Office Records
5995 NE 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50313
(515) 286-3313
Records request contact for booking, arrest, incident, photo, audio, and video records not online.
Booking Process in Polk County
Polk County booking starts with arrest or custody transfer. The arresting agency may be Des Moines Police, Polk County Sheriff's Office, West Des Moines Police, Ankeny Police, Urbandale Police, Iowa State Patrol, probation or Fifth Judicial District staff, or another local agency. Research from the dashboard showed Des Moines Police as the largest May 2026 booking source, followed by the Sheriff's Office and other agencies. Polk City also states that prisoners may be processed by city police but are housed at Polk County Jail, which is a useful example of how city arrests flow into the county roster.
At intake, the jail creates identifiers and public fields such as the booking number, inmate number, booking date, holding location, photo, arrest agency, bail fields, case number, and charges. New entries may appear on the current inmate list, previous 24-hour booking list, or prior-date booking list. After arrest, the Polk County Attorney criminal justice FAQ says the charged person must be brought before a judge within 24 hours. At that first appearance, the judge addresses rights, probable cause, and bond or release conditions.
The custody path after booking can split. A person may be released, remain in Polk County Jail, move to court staging, transfer to DOC custody after sentencing, or move through federal or immigration channels. Releases appear on recent release lists and may also be found in the released-inmate search for the prior 365 days.
Request Polk County Jail Records
For inmate records not visible online, use the Polk County Sheriff's Office records request page or the official records request portal. The county accepts requests online, by mail, in person, and by phone. The records contact is Jerry Noble during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Mail or in-person requests go to Polk County Sheriff's Office, Attention: Jerry Noble, 5995 NE 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50313.
| Record or service | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Police incident report | $5.00 |
| Vehicle accident report | $5.00 |
| Dispatch log | $5.00 |
| Photos, 911 audio, in-car video, or security camera footage | $35.00 |
| More than 10 pages | $0.25 per additional page may be added |
| Requests over one hour to process | $35.00 per hour may be charged |
Confidential information may be withheld. The county lists limits for investigative reports, Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license data, intelligence data, registered victim information, child victim identities, psychological exam results, confidential informant communications, and mental or health information.
Polk County Jail Visitation
Adult jail visitation uses ICSolutions. Polk County says visitors must register at least 24 hours in advance through ICSolutions, with a lobby kiosk available for public registration and scheduling. Remote visits from home cost $0.25 per minute, and the county page says a remote visit requires at least $6.25 in an ICSolutions prepaid account. Sessions are up to 25 minutes. The county also says individuals are allowed one on-site visit and one remote visit at no cost per week, while inmates may have up to five remote visits per day.
| Visit type | Days | Times |
|---|---|---|
| On-site public | Sunday | 8:30-10:30 a.m.; 12:30-2:30 p.m. |
| On-site public | Monday-Thursday | 8:30-10:30 a.m.; 1:00-2:30 p.m. |
| On-site public | Friday-Saturday | No on-site public visitation located on county schedule. |
| Remote public | Sunday-Saturday | 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. |
| Blackout times | Daily | No visits 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 3:00-4:00 p.m., 5:00-6:00 p.m. |
The officially linked ICSolutions visitor page gives the registration and visit setup path for Polk County Jail.
Use the roster first to confirm custody, then use ICSolutions rules for scheduling, remote visit fees, visitor ID, conduct, dress, and no recording or screenshot restrictions.
Contact Polk County Inmates
Mail to an adult jail inmate must come through USPS and must include the sender's complete name and address or it may be returned. The address format is the inmate's complete name, Polk County Jail, 1985 NE 51st Place, Des Moines, IA 50313-2517. Photos must be mailed, may not be Polaroids, must be 4x6 or smaller, and the county states an inmate may possess up to five photos. The Sheriff's Office does not accept packages or other property for inmates.
Phone and video services use ICSolutions. The county notice lists a domestic call rate of $0.15 per minute, a 30-second voicemail or message at $0.25, and processing fees that differ by payment method. Customer care is listed as (888) 506-8407. Phone deposits and commissary deposits are separate, so do not assume money sent for commissary can be used for calls.
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Polk County links Access Corrections for commissary deposits and CarePack purchases. Commissary funds can be used by inmates for approved jail store items. Phone funds are handled separately through the ICSolutions phone account system. Before sending money or scheduling a visit, confirm that the person is still in Polk County Jail and has not been released, transferred, moved to DOC custody, or placed in a federal or ICE channel that uses different rules.
Note: Confirm custody through the jail roster or (515) 323-5400 before sending funds, scheduling visits, or mailing photos.
Polk County Sheriff App
The Polk County Sheriff's IA app appears in the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app is advertised for public safety news, tips, crime reporting, and resident communication. Research did not confirm an app-only inmate search, so it should not replace the official inmate portal, jail phone, sheriff records request, Iowa DOC Offender Search, IowaVINE/VINELink, Iowa Courts Online, BOP, ICE, or USMS channels.
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