Altoona Police Jail

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The Altoona Police Jail is located at 700 1St Avenue South in Altoona, IA and is a medium security police department jail operated by the Altoona Police Department.

This page tells you info about everything you might want to know about the Altoona Police Jail, like how to do a jail inmate search, the jail’s phone number and address, intake procedures, how to find your court records, and more.

Top 10 Searches for Altoona Police Jail

1. Altoona Police Jail Information
2. Altoona Police Jail Inmate Search
3. Polk County Inmate Search in Altoona, IA
4. What Are the Visitation Rules for Altoona Police Jail
5. What Are the Visitation Hours for Altoona Police Jail
6. How To Save Money on Inmate Calls at Altoona Police Jail
7. Altoona Police Jail Care Packages
8. What is Inmate Commissary?
9. How to Send Money to an Inmate at Altoona Police Jail
10. How to Search Polk County Arrest Records

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to give you information you need to make helping a friend or family member get out of jail easier. If you have a question, feel free to ask them, and also any tips or comments that might be a benefit to others would be appreciated.

Altoona Police Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Altoona Police Jail Inmate Locator is an online list of people who have been arrested, including current status, and times you can visit. Also, you can get information on anyone arrested and processed or discharged within the last 24 hours. Inmates are shown in alphabetical order by last name. You’ll be able to find their inmate information more quickly if you’ve got the arrestee’s first and last name, birth date, or inmate ID.

Altoona Police Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The intake process at the Altoona Police Jail takes you through the following steps:

You will get put in a holding cell. If the jail is busy, you will have to wait, sometimes for many hours, before you get processed.

The first thing you will have to to is you must answer some questions, like your full name, your address, birthdate and an emergency contact person, and also, you will also be asked about your medical and mental history. Next, you’ll be given an inmate ID number and you will be fingerprinted. Then, all personal property will be taken away from you and stored until you are discharged.

You will then be allowed to make a telephone call to talk to a member of your family, friend, or somebody else who can help you get out.

If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, you might be able to wear your street clothes, if not you you will have to wear a jail issued jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

When you pay your bail, you will be allowed to go home after you get discharged. Getting discharged can take anywhere from 30 minutes to many hours. In simple terms, the faster you post bail, the quicker you will be freed. Also, it can depend on if you’ve been given a bond amount or if a magistrate needs to determine the bail amount. For a minor charge, you will be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have completed your jail sentence and know the discharge date, plan to get discharged between 9am and noon.

Altoona Police Jail Visitation

To have visitors, you need to give each visitor’s name to the Altoona Police Jail in advance of the visit. Your visitors will go into a log of approved visitors as an Authorized visit. All visitors will be required to provide acceptable photo identification. Visitors that gets to visitation or that is not an approved visitor will not be able to attend visitation.

Jail visitation policies frequently change, so we suggest that you call the jail at 515-967-5132 before you go to visitation.

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Visitation Rules

To visit an inmate at the Altoona Police Jail you must be added to this person’s approved visitation list.

Be sure to take your valid driver’s license or government issued ID when you go to visit because you will not be allowed to enter without it.

No phones are allowed at Altoona Police Jail, and you will be searched before you can visit. Personal belongings are not allowed. Anyone under must get the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer before they can visit. Such visitation is not normally approved.

If a visitor is under the age of 18 is related to the inmate, they will have to be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian to include a member of the inmate’s extended family. If the visitor is younger than 18 years of age and is not a family member of the inmate, this 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 even magazines to an inmate at the Altoona Police Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Altoona 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.

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Sending Other Things to an Inmate

There are strict procedures that you must follow to send anything to an inmate at the Altoona 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 Altoona 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 think you might have a warrant out for your arrest, you are able to check the arrest warrants inquiry on the Polk County jail website or you can call the court. You have to have the person’s first and last name. You can also go to the local jail and ask the officer in charge. Keep in mind that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you will be taken into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know the person’s first and last name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the jail, by phone, go there in person, or look online. An arrest is in the public record and this is available to anyone.

Court Records

Court Records are public records. They include a case file containing a docket sheet and any documents and filings filed in the court case. You can access the court records via the internet, or at the Polk County Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state maintains a record of people’s criminal past. These state databases are all linked and you can track criminal backgrounds from other states. You can go to county courthouse and inquire, or you can check online. You must know which county the crime occured in, and if the crime was in a totally different state, you may have to pay for a more intensive search.

A criminal records search you can get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for any crimes, which can include, drug Possession of drug trafficking, kidnapping, sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault, violent crimes, or theft, breaking and entering.

Money & Commissary

The rules for sending money to inmates is likely to change, so it would be best to visit the Altoona Police Jail site before send money to someone in jail there.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Altoona 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 Altoona Police Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at 515-967-5132 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 inmate’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 Altoona Police Jail store. An inmate can buy several different things here, like personal items, food, and things for writing. Remember that you will probably want to use the commissary every day, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

The Commissary will sell an assortment of different items that inmates can buy if they have sufficient funds in their trust account. These items include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, in addition to 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

Phone calls that inmates are allowed to make from the Altoona Police Jail are made through a jail approved pre-paid phone account or phone card . These phone calls are a lot more expensive than regular phone calls. There is no limit to when and how often you can use the phone, but you should keep in mind that a long line can form at the phones, because everyone wants to use the phone, too. If you break the rules, phone calls might get cut back or eliminated completely, as part of the punishment.

The Altoona Police Jail phone number is: 515-967-5132

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have exclusive contracts at each facility that they are the exclusive phone provider for, which means that they get to set the prices. The money these phone service providers make off of 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 Altoona Police Jail. The rates are posted and there are at least two different prices based on where the inmate is calling. The following 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 figuring out how to lower your inmates phone charges can be more difficult. ArrestedResources.com keeps up to date with all of the changes that affect your inmate’s calling rate and in most cases is able to offer you an inmate calling number that will save you a lot of money on inmate phone calls. There are some circumstances where we will not be able to save you any money, and therefore 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 will be able to save you money.

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

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