This Chief's Office is staffed by the Chief of Police, an Assistant Chief of Police, a Lieutenant, an Administrative Secretary and an Administrative Assistant. The duties and responsibilities carried out by this office are budget coordination and tracking, internal affairs, departmental communication, payroll and personnel records, strategic planning, grant administration and the tracking and analysis of police related activities.  

The West Des Moines Police Department has been accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1996. Among other benefits, accreditation ensures the department has comprehensive and uniform written directives, necessary reporting for informed management decisions, plans for continued efforts in community relations and standards for officer accountability. More information about accreditation can be found at www.calea.org  

 

Chris Scott began his term as the West Des Moines Chief of Police on December 4th, 2017. 

Chief Scott began his career in law enforcement in 1998 and served as a Police Lieutenant in the Vice and Narcotics Unit for the City of Des Moines prior to his appointment as Chief. He started his law enforcement career as a Police Officer in Indianola, Iowa. He was then hired as a Senior Patrol Officer for the City of Des Moines where he held the rank of Sergeant in the areas of Records, Patrol, Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of the Operations Division, and Public Information Officer. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant serving as Patrol Commander and Executive Officer to the Chief of Police before serving in his most recent position.

Chief Scott has a bachelor’s from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s in Public Administration from Drake University. He also has attended the FBI National Academy. 

Chief Scott leads the department in our efforts to work with the community to address all crime, traffic and quality of life issue with in the city. The department’s goal is to provide the best quality law enforcement for our citizens. The Chief’s Office can be reached at 515-222-3300 or police@wdm.iowa.gov.   

Our goal is to unite, with the community, to preserve the safety of West Des Moines for all residents, businesses and visitors.

The West Des Moines Police Department will respect all whom we serve, collaborate, and partner; demonstrate unwavering integrity, and deliver a distinct quality service to achieve the accountability obligated to our community.