Listen to Des Moines Police, Fire & EMS

Des Moines Police, Fire & EMS is a Public Safety scanner feed covering Polk County, Iowa. Expect a mix of dispatch traffic as calls come in, along with units reporting their status.

Yes. Listening to Des Moines Police, Fire & EMS in the Scanner Radio app is free on both iPhone and Android.

Scanner Radio lists 25 other scanners in Polk County, Iowa, including DART - Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, Department of Transportation - Des Moines Metro Area and Des Moines Air Ambulance (LifeFlight). You can see all scanners in Polk County on the area page.

Scanner traffic comes in bursts, so a silent stretch usually just means a quiet moment on the channel. If the feed itself is down, it is usually for maintenance and typically comes back on its own.

In Scanner Radio, turn on push notifications to hear when listener numbers on a feed suddenly spike, which is often the first sign of a major incident, or when there is a big breaking news story.

Dispatchers use 10-codes, signal codes and unit numbers as shorthand. Scanner Radio includes a built-in 10-code reference so you can follow along. Police Scanner Codes Explained: The Complete 10-Code Guide.

Yes. How to Listen to Des Moines Police Radio walks through the main scanner feeds for the area and how to listen to them.