According to an article in the Daily Iowan, the University of Iowa’s newspaper, there were almost 3,000 outstanding warrants in Linn County, Iowa in 2011. Because law enforcement officers must pursue violent offenders (such as murderers, rapists, and kidnappers) to protect the public, many active warrants languish. All agencies face budget concerns, and for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, protecting the public from violent criminals comes first.
That does not mean all violent offenders are captured in Linn County. Arrest warrant searches are valuable tools in bringing alleged criminals to trial. Not all of the warrant subjects are violent. Many active warrants for arrests target individuals with unpaid traffic tickets. Some are for other infractions, such as minor alcohol offenses. However, many are for more severe crimes, including drug trafficking.
Linn County is home to Cedar Rapids and has the second-highest population of all counties in IA. In a recent 10-year span (1999 -2008), over 75,000 crimes took place in Linn County. Most were property crimes, but a fair number of violent crimes occurred each year in the county.
The official Linn County, Iowa, the website contains a wealth of information. The pages maintained by the Linn County Sheriff (http://www.linncounty.org/151/Sheriffs-Office) have a link to the Gazette Online – Linn County Outstanding Warrants. The Gazette Online (the internet branch of a newspaper based in eastern Iowa) database lists over 4,500 outstanding arrest warrants for their arrest. The list includes individuals with active warrants in Linn County and Johnson County, Iowa, and outstanding warrants from the University of Iowa Police Department.
Some warrants go back almost 50 years. They run the gamut from minor traffic infractions to felonies. The search parameters are:
- First and middle names
- Last name
- Address
- Agency holding the warrant
As with any law enforcement matter, individuals are strongly discouraged from approaching or attempting to detain an individual listed as having an active warrant for their arrest. Rather than risk putting themselves in danger, individuals who believe they have information on a person on the list with a Linn County outstanding warrant should call the Linn County sheriff’s office at (319) 892-6100 or email the sheriff at the sheriff. Warrants et linncounty.org.
To find out about Linn County arrest records and other court matters, Iowa’s state court system’s electronic docket is a good starting point. A “docket” is a list of the proceedings and any papers filed in a court case. The site carries information on cases in all Iowa counties. The site does not provide copies of the actual reports pointed or orders entered but is more like a table of contents. Searches may be done using names, lawyers’ names, or the parties’ names.
Who can help you with an over-the-phone warrant search and arrests inquiry in Linn County? (2021- Update)
- For information on recent arrests, dial the phone number of the Linn Correctional Center: 319- 892-6300
- For information on arrest warrants, call the Sheriff’s Office at 319- 892-6100.
- For victim’s services and information on order of protection, contact the Linn County Attorney’s Office at 319-892-6350.
- For looking up judicial records, call the Clerk of Court at 319-398-3411.
Crime statistics of Linn County
Around 345 criminal complaints were taken to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office in 2017. Nearly 310 of the cases involved property offenses. Approximately 150 larceny-theft complaints and around 125 burglary complaints were included in this total. Around 35 complaints were filed against violent offenses, such as homicide and serious assault.