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.

History 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 20th 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.

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.

Department Arrest Statistics from 1900 to 1970 (* per 1,000 population) Year Public Disorder Arrests Felony Arrests Larceny Arrests 1900 67 1.15 3.23 1910 53 0.82 2.95 1920 14 0.64 1.81 1930 16 0.69 1.45 1940 27 3.17 10.64 1950 22 3.15 8.82 1960 21 6.76 18.34 1970 25 11.48 35.86

Organizational structure The Des Moines Police Department consists of three separate divisions. 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. Investigations Division The division consists of the Detective Bureau.

Substation 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.

November 2016 shooting

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. The shooting received national attention as President Barack 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.” The lone suspect, Scott Michael Greene, was quickly identified and apprehended by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol the same day.

Fallen officers In the history of the Des Moines Police Department, 23 officers and 1 K9 unit have been killed in the line of duty.

Officer Date of death Cause of death Sergeant Anthony David Beminio Gunfire Police Officer Susan Louise Farrell Drunk driver Police Officer Carlos Puente-Morales Drunk driver Police Officer Roger Ray Hildreth Heart attack Police Officer Sean Wissink Automobile accident Police Officer Dennis Earl Hill Gunfire Patrolman Brian Charles Melton Gunfire Patrolman James Emory Rodine Gunfire (Accidental) Captain Charles T. Andreano Automobile accident Patrolman George Wesley Schane Gunfire (Accidental) Captain Steven Tabor Howard Gunfire Sergeant Harry Linn Booton Gunfire Sergeant James Joshua Cowart Gunfire Sergeant Rupert L. Shepherd Motorcycle accident Patrolman Harry Ogilvie Gunfire Patrolman James A. Staggs Vehicular assault Patrolman Gerald D. Pickett Motorcycle accident Patrolman Ollie D. Thomas Gunfire Detective Cornelius J. McCarthy Gunfire Chief of Police Charles Chester Jackson Gunfire Officer George William Mattern Gunfire Detective Frank Delmege Gunfire Special Officer Edward H. "Elijah" Wishart Gunfire K9 Unit Date of death Cause of death K9 Harley Heat exhaustion

List of Des Moines Chiefs of Police A list of Police of Chiefs for the Des Moines Police Department. As of October 17, 2024 there have been a total of 59 Chiefs of Police. #NamePeriod as Chief of Police1J. Youngerman2P. Bower3J. Youngerman4J. Harter5T. Hall6S. Noel7J.T. Moore8R. Hedge9L. Jones10Jester Hedge11A.N. Marsh12S. Noel13W. Lowry14S.H. Carson15F.M. Smith16S.H. Carson17M.T. Russell18W.M. Patchen19Adam Hafner20J.S. Davis21George Christ22J.H. Bryant23John Smith24A.H. Botkin25Adam Hafner26A.H. Botkin27Alfred Jarvis28Sol Stutsman29Fred Johnson30James W. Jones31William P. Hume32Ab Day33A.G. Miller34George Yeager35C.C. Jackson36M.J. Donoghue37Roscoe Daunders38John B. Hammond39James Cavender40Roy J. Chamberlain41Henry A. Alber42Floyd Hartzer43Tom R. Watson44Tom Petit45Joe Loehr46Floyd Hartzer47Victor T. Smith48Floyd Hartzer *49Lorin Miller50F.E. Mabee51Howard R. Eide52Vear V. Douglas53Wendell E. Nichols54Billie B. Wallace55William H. Moulder56William M. McCarthy57Judy Bradshaw58Dana Wingert59Michael McTaggart *: Is labeled as "Assistant chief" on the list, there is no clear indication as to what that specifically means in context.

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