This is a list of law enforcement agencies in the state of Iowa.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, the state had 392 law enforcement agencies employing 5,830 sworn police officers, about 195 for each 100,000 residents.[1]
All Iowa Sheriff's Departments use the same markings and graphics on their patrol vehicles aside from each county having its respective name on the patrol vehicle before the word "County" under the "SHERIFF" door markings. All road deputies in the state also wear the same khaki and green uniforms. All counties have the same shoulder patches with the county name at the top, a 7 point gold star with "IOWA" in the middle, and "SHERIFF" at the bottom. Polk County Deputies may sometimes be seen with Silver 7-point stars on their uniforms. Many years ago they were sent the wrong color patches due to a shipping or order mistake and haven't bothered to fix the 'tradition' in the years since.
References
^2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Brian A Reaves, US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, July 2011
^Autumn Steele: Woman Killed In Front Of 4-Year-Old Son When Iowa Cop Aims At Family Dog And Misses; by Autumn Steele, 7 January 2015, http://www.inquisitr.com/ accessed 8 January 2015