Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
DCI Seal
Agency overview
Formed	9 April 1921;103 years ago (1921-04-09) [1]
Preceding agency	Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Iowa, U.S.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Des Moines, Iowa
Special Agents	114 (2020) [2]
Civilians	102 (2020) [2]
Parent agency	Iowa Department of Public Safety
Website
dps.iowa.gov/divisions/criminal-investigation

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (colloquially known as DCI) is the state bureau of investigation for the U.S. state of Iowa. DCI provides investigative support and expertise to law enforcement and public safety agencies operating within Iowa and collaborates with local, state, and federal authorities in the investigation of a variety of criminal activities.

Two vehicles belonging to the DCI Crime Scene Unit staged outside of DCI headquarters.

History

The DCI was originally founded as the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in 1921 under the direction of state attorney general Ben Gibson. The BCI consolidated all state law enforcement officers who were appointed by the Governor and the Attorney General into one centralized agency.

Organization

The DCI is a component of the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Bureaus

The main components and associated sub-components ^[3] of the Division are:

• Field Operations Bureau
  • Internet Crimes Against Children / Cyber Crime Unit
  • Major Crimes Unit
  • Sex offender registry Unit
• Support Operations Bureau
  • Automated Biometric Identification System (Fingerprint Identification) Unit
  • Administrative Support and Transcription Unit
  • Records and Identification Unit
  • Dissemination (Criminal history repository) Unit
  • Missing Persons and Unidentified Bodies Unit
• Special Enforcement Operations Bureau
• Criminalistics Laboratory
  • Arson Section
  • Breath Alcohol Section
  • Crime Scene Unit
  • DNA Casework Unit
  • DNA Profiling Convicted Offender Unit
  • Drug Identification Unit
  • Evidence Storage Unit
  • Firearms and Toolmarks Unit
  • Latent Print and Impression Evidence Unit
  • Photography Unit
  • Quality Assurance and Accreditation Unit
  • Questioned Documents Unit
  • Toxicology Unit
  • Trace Evidence Unit

Offices

For purposes of field operations, DCI separates the state into four geographic zones, each of which has a staff of special agents and professional support personnel led by a special agent-in-charge. ^[4] These offices are often co-located with local offices of the Iowa State Patrol.

The Special Enforcement Operations Bureau has special agent offices within each of the registered and licensed casinos in the state. ^[5]

A map displaying the location of all DCI offices in the state of Iowa.

Notable Cases

The DCI has been involved in a number of historically notable investigations, including the following:

• Investigation of the Hot Lotto fraud scandal ^[6]
• Cadaver identification after the crash of United Airlines Flight 232
• Apprehension of members of the Barrow gang

See also

• Iowa State Patrol

References

1. "Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation celebrates 100th anniversary". Local 5 News. 2021-04-09.
2. "FY2020 Annual Report" (PDF). Iowa DPS. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
3. "DCI Homepage". Iowa DPS. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
4. "100 Moments - Resident Agent Program" (PDF). Iowa DPS. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
5. "Special Enforcement Operations Bureau". Iowa DPS. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
6. "Hot Lotto Fraud Scandal Summary" (PDF). Iowa DPS. Retrieved 2022-04-05.