Main Menu

Inmate Search Arrest Records Inmate Phone Calls Commissary Send Money to Inmate Visitation Court Records Criminal Records Warrant Search

Van Meter Police Jail Information

Address

Van Meter Police Jail
505 Grant Street
Van Meter, IA 50261

Phone Number

Phone: 515-996-2644

The Van Meter Police Jail is located at 505 Grant Street in Van Meter, IA and is a medium security police department jail operated by the Van Meter Police Department.

This page tells you information about anything you might need to know about the Van Meter Police Jail, such as how to locate an inmate, the jail’s phone number and address, intake procedures, how to find your court records, and lots more.

Introduction

This guide is designed to give information that you’ll need to make helping a friend or family member get out of jail easier. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask it, and please leave any comments or feedback that might be a benefit to others will be appreciated.

Van Meter Police Jail Inmate Search

Do you have a family member or friend that is incarcerated and want to contact them? Do you know someone who’s been arrested and you don’t know how to find out what jail they’re in?

To see who’s in jail at the Van Meter Police Jail you have to use the search form.

Inmate Search

First Name

Last Name

State

Who’s In Jail

The Van Meter Police Jail Inmate Locator is an online list of individuals who have been arrested, which includes current status, and times the inmate can have visitors. Also, you can get the same information for anyone arrested and booked or released in the past 24 hours. Jail inmates are listed alphabetically by last name. You can locate their inmate information faster if you enter their full name, date of birth, or inmate ID.

Van Meter Police Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The intake process at the Van Meter Police Jail is made up of each of the following steps:

They’ll put you in a holding cell. If the jail is busy, you may not be processed immediately.

You must answer a bunch of questions, such as what is your legal name, home address, birth date and an emergency contact person, and also, you will also be asked about your psychological and medical history. Next, You will be given an inmate ID number and you will get fingerprinted. Then, all personal property will be taken away from you and stored until you are discharged.

They will let you use the telephone to contact family, friends, or loved one.

If you are expected to be released shortly, you might get to wear your street clothes, but if you are not expected to make bail quickly you you will have to change into a jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

When you pay your bail, you will get released from jail. This process takes between 30 minutes to hours or even all day long. So, the faster bail is posted, the quicker you will get let go. How quickly you get discharged can depend on if you’ve been given a cash bond amount or if a magistrate needs to figure out how much to set your bail at. For a minor offense, you will simply be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have served your sentence and know the discharge date, plan to be released between 9am and noon.

Van Meter Police Jail Visitation

In order to have visitors, inmates must give the name and date of birth of each visitor to the Van Meter Police Jail in advance. Your visitors will be entered into the visitors log for the inmate. All visitors will be required to provide identification. Any visitors arriving late or any visitors that are not approved to visit will not be allowed to visit the inmate.

Visitation procedures at Van Meter Police Jail can change, so make sure that you call the facility at 515-996-2644 before you go.

Visiting Hours

Day	Visiting Hours
Monday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Friday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday	9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday	9:00am – 5:00pm

Visitation Rules

Before you can visit someone at the Van Meter Police Jail you must first be added to the inmate’s visitation list.

Make sure to take your up to date government issued ID or valid driver’s license with you to visitation or you will not be allowed to enter without it.

No phones are allowed at Van Meter Police Jail, and you will be searched before you can visit. No personal belongings. Anyone on must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer prior to a visit. Usually is not going to be approved.

If a visitor is under the age of 18 and is a family member of the inmate, they must be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian to include a member of the inmate’s extended family. If a visitor is younger than 18 years old and is not related to the inmate, the minor visitor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Sending Mail to Inmates

This is what you need to know in order to send letters, photos, postcards, greeting cards and magazines to an inmate at the Van Meter Police Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Van Meter Police Jail is always searched and inspected for contraband that might threaten the security, safety or well-being of the facility, its staff, and inmates. Inmates can only receive metered, unstamped, plain white postcards no larger than 4″ x 6″ as mail. The writing on the postcard has to be in pencil or blue or black ink. If it has a stamp on it, it will get returned. If you write in green ink, then it will get returned. If you send any other kind of mail will be returned to the sender. If there is no return address on it, then the unauthorized mail will be stored in the inmate’s locker until the inmate gets release.

Do not include any of these things in the mail that you send to an inmate: any kind of threat to jail order, any description of the manufacture of weapons, bombs, incendiary devices, or tools for escape; do not encourage or advocate any kind of violence, hate speech, or racial or ethnic supremacy. Inmates are not allowed to write to other inmates.

Mailing Address

The address that you should use if you are sending a letter to an inmate at the Van Meter Police Jail is:

Van Meter Police Jail
505 Grant Street
Van Meter, IA 50261

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Van Meter Police Jail
505 Grant Street
Van Meter, IA 50261

The inmate mail policy at the Van Meter Police Jail is always changing, so we suggest that you review the site when send a letter to someone in jail there.

Sending Other Things to an Inmate

There are strict procedures that you must follow to send anything to an inmate at the Van Meter Police Jail. This includes sending money for to spend in the commissary, sending regular mail or photos, sending money for phone calls, and even postcards.

This page covers everthing you need to know about the Van Meter Police Jail to help you follow these procedures and guidelines. If you have questions, or there is something that you were looking for, but did not find, please contact us using the contact link in the site menu.

Public Records

Warrant Inquiry

If you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you are able to check the arrest warrants inquiry online or you are able to call the jail. This requires a first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and ask them. Keep in mind that if there is a warrant for your arrest, you should be prepared to get taken into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you have a first and last name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the jail, either by phone, in person, or find out online. Records of arrests are public record and this information is accessible by the public.

Court Records

Court Records are public, and are accessible by anyone. Court Records include a court case file containing a court docket and all documents and filings filed in your case. You can access court records on their website, or at Clerk of Court in the county where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Each and every state maintains records of someone’s criminal background. These online databases are linked together so you can track criminal backgrounds from another state. You are able to go to the Dallas County Courthouse and make an inquiry, or you can check online. You must know which county the crime occured in, and if the crime was in a completely different state, you might have to pay a fee for a more comprehensive search.

When you look up someone’s criminal record you will get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for any crimes, which can include, drug offenses such as possession or trafficking, kidnapping, sexual offenses including rape, assault, violent crimes, or theft.

Money & Commissary

The rules for sending money to inmates can change at any time, so it would be best to double check the Van Meter Police Jail site when you send money to an inmate.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Van Meter Police Jail

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

Guidelines For Sending Money To An Inmate

Before you send any money you should find out what online money transfer companies the jail your inmate is incarcerated in uses. The exact method that the Van Meter Police Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at 515-996-2644 to get the current payment method.

You may be required to be on the inmate’s visitation list in order to send them money, and be aware that they may have a limit on how much you deposit at one time, like $200-300 at a time, or a limit on how much money may be in the inmate’s account at one time.

Some of the money transfer firms being used by various facilities include JPay, MoneyGram, AccessCorrections, OffenderConnect, Touchpayonline, JailATM, WU, smartdeposit, and tigercommissary.

If an inmate has fines or are required to pay restitution then they will be subject to garnishment of their commissary/trust account. If the inmate has a garnishment, then money to pay them will be taken from the inmateâ€™s bank account. In some cases it may be a percentage or the entire amount of the obligation, but the actual percentage depends on the circumstances. We recommend that inmates talk to the counselor at their facility and try to find out. You can also try to make an arrangement so that only a percentage of your commissary funds are taken, instead of all your funds take at one time.

Commissary

The commissary is the Van Meter Police Jail store. Inmates can buy a number of things here, like personal items, food, and things for writing. Remember that you will probably need to buy things from the commissary on a daily basis, and any infractions will cause you to lose commissary privileges.

The Commissary will sell a selection of different products that inmates can buy if they have money in their commissary account. These items include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, in addition to personal hygiene products like soap, shampoo, and disposable razors for shaving. The commissary also sells other things like books and magazines, televisions and radios, playing cards, headphones, MP3 players, and electronic tablets. They also sell everything need to write home to family, friends, and loved ones: paper, envelopes, and stamps. If an inmate is indigent and cannot afford paper and stamps, the jail will provide these things to an inmate who has not had any money in their commissary account for at least 30 days.

Phone Calls & Phone Usage Policy

All phone calls from the Van Meter Police Jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . These phone calls are usually pricier than phone calls made outside of jail. Inmates are able to make phone calls, with restrictions on when you can make phone calls, how long you can talk, and how often you can make calls, but inmates should keep in mind lots of people want to use the phone – so you have to share. If you break the jail rules, your ability to use the phone could be reduced or cut altogether.

The Van Meter Police Jail phone number is: 515-996-2644

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service providers have exclusive contracts at each facility that they are the exclusive phone provider for, which means that they get to set the prices. The profits these phone service providers make from all of the phone calls that inmates make are shared with the facility, so there is no incentive for the jail or the counselors at the facility to show inmates or their family how to save money on inmate phone calls at the Van Meter Police Jail. The prices are posted and there are at least two different prices based on where the inmate is calling. These three factors will determine how much an inmate phone call will cost: Where you are located; Where your inmate is located, What type of phone number you have.

For example, if your inmate is in federal prison, if you get a new local number then this will decrease your inmate’s phone call rate from $.21 per minute to only $.06 per minute.

For state prisons and local jails finding out how to decrease your inmates phone charges can be more difficult. ArrestedResources.com is an expert in keeping up with all of the changes that affect your inmate’s rate and in most cases is able to offer you an inmate calling number that will save you a lot of money on how much it costs you to call your inmate. There are some prisons or jails where we won’t be able to save you any money, and in these cases we will not offer you an inmate calling number. In these cases, the jail or prison has set their phone call rates so high that nobody can save you money.

For more detailed information on how to save on inmate calls at Van Meter Police Jail, click the link below.

Return To Main Menu

4879