The Des Moines Police Department is the municipal police department for the city of Des Moines, Iowa. The department is the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Iowa.[1]
On January 21, 1896, the size of Des Moines increased significantly when state legislature granted the city a new charter allowing it to absorb the eight towns surrounding the city. As the size of the city increased, the need for public safety increased. In 1908 the city auditor issued an annual report of the city which stated appointed the Chief of Police. By the turn of the 19th century the police department was loosely structured and consisted of a patrol division and administration division. The patrol division consisted of patrol officers and detectives while the administration division consisted of jail staff.[2]
The Des Moines Police Department saw a decrease in the number of public disorder arrests between 1910 and 1920, which is attributed to the fact that in 1911 patrol officers began patrolling in automobiles and were less likely to observe public disorder incidents.[3]
Department Arrest Statistics from 1900 to 1970 (* per 1,000 population)[4]
The Des Moines Police Department consists of three separate divisions.[5]
Administrative Services Division
Operations Division
The division consists of the Patrol Services Bureau and the Homeland Security Bureau. The Homeland Security Bureau includes Airport Security, Bomb Squad, Fusion Center, and Metro Special Tactics and Response.[6]
Des Moines Police Department Bomb SquadInvestigations Division
In addition to the police department headquarters, the Des Moines Police Department also has a substation located at 1300 Scott Ave, Des Moines, Iowa. The substation houses the Des Moines Police Department Traffic Unit.
On November 2, 2016, Des Moines Police Department Officer Sergeant Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Police Department Officer Justin Martin were killed in ambush-style shootings near Des Moines.[7] The shooting received national attention as PresidentBarack Obama described the killings as “shameful acts of violence," and continued on to say “Sgt. Anthony Beminio and Officer Justin Martin represented our best, most decent instincts as human beings — to serve our neighbors, to put ourselves in harm’s way for someone else.” [8] The lone suspect,[9] Scott Michael Greene, was quickly identified and apprehended by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol the same day.[10]
