Dubuque Police Department

The Dubuque Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for Dubuque, Iowa, a city of about 59,000 residents according to 2025 Census Bureau estimates, and it works out of the Dubuque Law Enforcement Center, which it shares with the Dubuque County Sheriff's Office and the county jail. Its authorized strength is 109 sworn officers and 11 civilian employees in six divisions. Its history reaches back to April 1, 1837, when the town named its first marshal; an organized force with a captain and three sergeants was disbanded by the city council in 1859 and re-established in 1861, and an 1873 ordinance first required officers to wear uniforms. Today a two-officer Bicycle Unit in the Community Policing Division patrols from about March through October to build relationships in parks and neighborhoods. Officers make monthly compliance checks on registered sex offenders living in the city. Students ages 14 to 20 who have finished eighth grade can join a Police Exploring program for hands-on training in crime scene work, traffic stops, K-9 handling and a VirTra simulator, and adults can attend a citizen police academy or a four-hour ride-along.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023), Dubuque city, IA has an estimated population of 59,271.