Des Moines Police Department (Iowa)

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]

Des Moines Police Department
Common name	Des Moines Police Department
Abbreviation	DMPD
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Des Moines, Iowa, United States
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General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	25 East 1st Street Des Moines, Iowa
Sworn members	376
Unsworn members	109
Agency executive	Dana Wingert, Chief of Police
Website
Des Moines Police Department

Mounted unit

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 19th century the police department was loosely structured and consisted of a patrol disvision 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 1910-1920, 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 1900-1970 (* per 1,000 population)[4]

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.[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]
• Investigations Division
  • The division consists of the Detective Bureau.

November 2016 shooting

Main article: 2016 shootings of Des Moines police officers

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 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.” [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]

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.[11]

Officer	Date of death	Cause of death
Sergeant Anthony David Beminio	November 2, 2016	Gunfire
Police Officer Susan Louise Farrell	March 26, 2016	Vehicular assault
Police Officer Carlos Puente-Morales	March 26, 2016	Vehicular assault
Police Officer Roger Ray Hildreth	February 21, 2008	Heart attack
Police Officer Sean Wissink	February 11, 2007	Automobile accident
Police Officer Dennis Earl Hill	August 28, 1977	Gunfire
Patrolman Brian Charles Melton	April 21, 1977	Gunfire
Patrolman James Emory Rodine	August 13, 1968	Gunfire (Accidental)
Captain Charles T. Andreano	July 30, 1964	Automobile accident
Patrolman George Wesley Schane	May 4, 1942	Gunfire (Accidental)
Captain Steven Tabor Howard	March 2, 1935	Gunfire
Sergeant Harry Linn Booton	December 11, 1932	Gunfire
Sergeant James Joshua Cowart	December 7, 1931	Gunfire
Sergeant Rupert L. Shepherd	August 1, 1930	Motorcycle accident
Patrolman Harry Ogilvie	July 12, 1930	Gunfire
Patrolman James A. Staggs	April 20, 1928	Vehicular assault
Patrolman Gerald D. Pickett	September 24, 1925	Motorcycle accident
Patrolman Ollie D. Thomas	August 20, 1925	Gunfire
Detective Cornelius J. McCarthy	September 27, 1919	Gunfire
Chief of Police Charles Chester Jackson	December 16, 1918	Gunfire
Officer George William Mattern	April 12, 1918	Gunfire
Detective Frank Delmege	September 20, 1909	Gunfire
Special Officer Edward H. "Elijah" Wishart	July 1, 1891	Gunfire
K9 Unit	Date of death	Cause of death
K9 Harley	August 29, 2012	Heat exhaustion

References

1. "About the Des Moines Police Department". City of Des Moines Police Department. City of Des Moines. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
2. Wertsch, Douglas (Winter 1987). "The Evolution of the Des Moines Police Department: Professionalization and the Decline of Public Disorder Arrests in the Twentieth Century". The Annals of Iowa. 48 (7): 437. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
3. Wertsch, Douglas (Winter 1987). "The Evolution of the Des Moines Police Department: Professionalization and the Decline of Public Disorder Arrests in the Twentieth Century". The Annals of Iowa. 48 (7): 438. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
4. Wertsch, Douglas (Winter 1987). "The Evolution of the Des Moines Police Department: Professionalization and the Decline of Public Disorder Arrests in the Twentieth Century". The Annals of Iowa. 48 (7): 438. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
5. "About the Des Moines Police Department". City of Des Moines Police Department. City of Des Moines. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
6. "Homeland Security Bureau Units". Des Moines Police Department. City of Des Moines. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
7. "2 Iowa police officers killed; suspect in custody". CNN. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
8. "Iowa Police Arrest Suspect in 'Ambush' Killings of 2 Officers". New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
9. McCarthy, Ciara (November 2, 2016). "Des Moines police shooting: killed officers named after 'ambush'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
10. Maricle, Kelly (November 2, 2016). "Suspect in Officers' Murders Taken Into Custody Near Redfield". WHO TV. Des Moines. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
11. "Honoring All Fallen Members of the Des Moines Police Department". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 14 December 2016.