County record · Iowa

Polk County

12 Deployments on record

8 Agencies

4 Technology categories

Technology presence

ALPR · 7 Fixed cameras & RTCC · none on record Face recognition · none on record Drones / UAS · 1 Gunshot detection · none on record Body-worn & dashcam · 2 Doorbell & camera registry · 2 Cell-site simulators · none on record Predictive policing · none on record Social-media monitoring · none on record

The record, by agency

Des Moines Police Department

Des Moines · 4 deployments · on UnGovr: City of Des Moines

ALPR

The Des Moines Police Department has used automated license plate readers since at least 2017.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): WHO13

Body-worn & dashcam Vendor: WatchGuard

The Des Moines Police Department obtained body-worn cameras in 2017.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Des Moines Register City of Des Moines

Doorbell & camera registry

The Des Moines Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Des Moines

Drones / UAS

The Des Moines Police Department operates one drone, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College www.faa.gov whotv.com

Ankeny Police Department

Ankeny · 2 deployments · on UnGovr: City of Ankeny

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

The Ankeny Police Department uses Flock Safety automated license plate readers.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Newton Daily News

Doorbell & camera registry

The Ankeny Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Ankeny

Altoona Police Department

Altoona · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of Altoona

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

As of April 2024, the Altoona Police Department operates 20 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety The News & Observer The News & Observer

Clive Police Department

Clive · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of Clive

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

As of April 2024, the Clive Police Department operates 20 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety The News & Observer The News & Observer

Johnston Police Department

Johnston · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of Johnston

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

The Johnston Police Department operates 11 Flock Safety automated license plate readers as of June 2025. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety

Urbandale Police Department

Urbandale · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of Urbandale

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

As of April 2024, the Urbandale Police Department operates 21 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety The News & Observer The News & Observer

West Des Moines Police Department

West Des Moines · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of West Des Moines

ALPR Vendor: Flock Safety

As of April 2024, the West Des Moines Police Department operates 56 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety The News & Observer The News & Observer

Windsor Heights Police Department

Windsor Heights · 1 deployment · on UnGovr: City of Windsor Heights

Body-worn & dashcam

The Windsor Heights Police Department received $8,635 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to purchase 9 body-worn cameras through the 2022 Small, Rural, Tribal BWC Microgrant program.

Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Small, Rural, and Tribal Body-Worn Camera microgrant grantee list

Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance (Electronic Frontier Foundation & University of Nevada, Reno — Reynolds School of Journalism) · CC BY 4.0 · retrieved July 2026