JOSEPH L. KENNEDY, Sheriff
DAVID T. RINIKER, Chief Deputy
OFFICE OF SHERIFF
DUBUQUE LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER
770 IOWA STREET – PO BOX 1004 – DUBUQUE, IOWA 52004-1004
PHONES: EMERGENCY 911 – ADMINISTRATION 563-589-4406 – FAX 563-589-7882
September 28, 2026
To: Dubuque County Board of Supervisors, Chairperson Harley Pothoff
From: Sheriff Joe Kennedy
Re: Datacenter safety concerns
Chairperson Pothoff,
During a Board of Supervisors meeting a few weeks ago, there was discussion and request for information regarding law enforcement-related issues that have occurred because of datacenters. Following that discussion, I reached out to several Sheriff's and Chiefs of Police in areas that either have completed datacenters within their service areas or have datacenters currently in the construction process, with the purpose of ascertaining the issues they have experienced regarding these structures.
The results showed outside of the increased traffic and construction-related complaints during the construction phase of these projects, these law enforcement professionals reported no other concerns with the presence of datacenters within the community. The only call for service they reported receiving to the datacenter site itself was an extra attention to the site due to a terminated construction employee. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.
Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph L. Kennedy, Sheriff
Dubuque County Sheriff's Office