January 2026 Overview

In January 2026, the department handled a high volume of activity amid typical winter conditions in eastern Iowa. Key figures include:

•  Calls for Service: 2,753 — This metric reflects the total number of requests for police assistance, ranging from emergencies and disturbances to non-emergency reports and welfare checks. It indicates a busy start to the year for patrol and response units.

•  Arrests: 204 (including both custodial and non-custodial bookings) — Arrests cover a range of offenses, from misdemeanors to felonies.

•  Warrants Served: 74 — Officers executed these court-issued warrants, often related to prior unresolved cases.

•  Citations: 505 — Primarily traffic-related, though some may involve municipal violations.

•  Written Warnings: 155 — Used for minor infractions where officers exercised discretion instead of formal citations.

•  OWI Arrests (Operating While Intoxicated): 23 — These represent DUI-related incidents, which often peak in colder months due to holiday aftermath or seasonal factors.

The report includes the standard disclaimer that arrests do not imply or infer guilt, and figures encompass both custodial (jail bookings) and non-custodial processes.

February 2026 Overview

Activity showed some shifts in February, potentially influenced by shorter days, weather patterns, or post-holiday trends:

•  Calls for Service: 2,565 — A decrease of 188 calls (about 6.8%) compared to January, suggesting a slight reduction in overall demand for police services.

•  Arrests: 226 — An increase of 22 arrests (roughly 10.8%) from January, indicating potentially more proactive enforcement or a rise in reportable incidents leading to custody.

•  Warrants Served: 61 — Down from 74 in January, which could reflect fewer active warrants or shifts in priorities.

•  Citations: 433 — A notable drop of 72 (about 14.3%) from the prior month, possibly tied to reduced traffic volume or seasonal driving patterns.

•  Written Warnings: 138 — Slightly fewer than January’s 155.

•  OWI Arrests: 20 — A modest decrease of 3 from January, though still a meaningful enforcement focus given public safety implications.

As with January, the department emphasized that statistics do not imply guilt for those arrested or cited.

Comparative Insights and Context

From January to February 2026, total calls for service declined modestly, while arrests rose — a pattern that could reflect officers handling fewer incoming calls but making more proactive contacts (e.g., traffic enforcement, warrant sweeps, or community patrols). Citations and warnings both decreased, potentially indicating a shift toward arrests over tickets in certain situations or simply fewer minor violations observed.

These early-year numbers provide a baseline for 2026 trends in Dubuque, a city of approximately 60,000 residents. For broader perspective, recent years have seen positive developments in certain crime categories; for instance, 2025 marked the fewest shots-fired incidents with criminal intent in nearly a decade (only 6 reported), attributed by police and city leaders to community-oriented policing, technology enhancements like the Precision Policing Center (opened in 2025 with expanded camera monitoring), and collaborative efforts.

The Dubuque Police Department, serving since 1837 and operating out of the Dubuque Law Enforcement Center, continues to prioritize transparency through these monthly summaries. Residents can access additional real-time data via the department’s Police to Citizen (P2C) portal for calls, reports, arrests, and more.

Department officials have not yet released year-to-date comparisons or commentary specific to these months, but the reports underscore ongoing enforcement in areas like impaired driving and warrant resolution while responding to community needs. As spring approaches, shifts in activity — such as increases in outdoor-related calls or traffic — may emerge in future reports.