On August
5th, 1845 the City of Princeton was established in Monroe (Originally Kish Ke Kosk) County, which was later renamed to the
City of Albia.
Shortly thereafter, the Albia Police Department
was established, with the department originally consisting of one horse-riding sworn officer. One can only imagine how swift
the response was when you consider that it took about a day for someone to ride to town to file a report, and another day
for the Officer to ride out and follow up.
As society and technology
progressed, the Albia Police Department evolved. Adding vehicle patrol quickened the process of responding to calls and serving
the community. Calls would go through the local telephone office, where the nature of the call was given to the
switchboard operator. In order for the operator to get in touch with an Officer, a switch was flipped that activated a light
in the top of the courthouse. Then, the operator would wait for the Officer to see the light and make contact with the operator.
The original Police Department was located on North Main Street,
just off Albia's famous square. In 1977, under the direction of Chief John Douglas, the Police Department was moved to a Joint
Law Enforcement Center and Jail with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, at 103 2nd Ave West. Built in 1941, originally
housing the jail facilities and offices on the ground floor, with a residence for the Sheriff and his family on the second
floor. It was later adapted to house the Police and Sheriff's Department. It was in use until 2016.
In 2016 the Police and Sheriff's Department moved to new facilities at 114 19th Ave West, the Monroe County Public
Safety Center. The new building houses the Police and Sheriff's Department administrative offices, evidence and record storage,
dispatching services, as well as meeting and exercise facilities. It also houses a new state of the art jail facility
with facilities to hold up to 24 inmates.
Other agencies such as
the Iowa Highway Patrol, Iowa Department of Transportation, United States Marshall Services, Southern and SouthEast Iowa Drug
Task Forces, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Court Services, Juvenile Court Services, Department of Human Services,
Parole and Probation and others agencies use the facility on a routine basis.
The Albia Police Department consists of six full-time sworn Police Officers, an Administrative Secretary,
an Animal Control Officer and a Narcotics and Human Scent tracking Canine Officer. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days a year. We routinely handle over 3000 calls for service per year in our effort to better the community for the citizens
we serve. The Police Department is structured with a Police Chief, Assistant Police Chief, and four Patrol Officers. Besides
their regular law enforcement duties, Albia Police Officers are busy with community services, parade duties, drug interdiction,
education, search and rescue, and neighborhood watch programs. Specialty units include a K-9 Narcotics interdiction, Human
Scent tracking, and Bicycle Patrol Units.
