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Protect Our Protectors

Helping our Iowa protectors keep their addresses confidential to stay safe at home

As our protectors, you deserve to feel safe in your own home.

Parents and two kids coloring in notebooks at the kitchen table

But trying to keep your personal address confidential can be challenging, leaving you:

  • Feeling unsafe and anxious about who knows where you live.
  • Worrying about your family and their safety when you’re not home.
  • Struggling to understand what protections are available in your city or county.

While several legal channels exist to protect your address, they can be expensive, complicated, and time consuming – and there’s still a chance that your information might not be fully protected.

Your home should be a safe space for you and your family.

When your safety or the safety of your loved ones is at risk, you need the peace of mind to know that they’re as protected as possible.

Protect Our Protectors (POP) is a free, statewide address confidentiality program that provides a legal substitute address for law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecuting attorneys.

The Protect Our Protectors program provides you with:

  • A substitute address that can be used for court records, driver’s license, school/work records and anywhere else an address is required in the state of Iowa.
  • Mail forwarding service
  • Confidential voter registration and absentee voting

With Protect Our Protectors, you can keep your address confidential and get the peace of mind you and your loved ones deserve.

You work hard to keep our communities safe.

Let us help you stay safer with Protect Our Protectors.

Confidential Protection

Protect Our Protectors keeps your personal address out of public records to help you stay safe.

Free Application

The program is run through the Iowa Secretary of State’s office and is completely free for those who qualify.

Easy Process

Once you’ve applied, you’ll remain protected for 4 years, or until you decide to withdraw from the program. You can re-enroll as many times as needed.

Who is eligible for Protect Our Protectors?

Protect our Protectors is available to active and retired:

  • Law enforcement officers and civilian employees of law enforcement agencies
  • Judges
  • Prosecuting attorneys

*All spouses and children of these professions are also eligible for the program.

Apply Now
Professional woman holding binder in conference room

How it works:

1. Apply Now

Fill out the application form and mail it to:
Protect Our Protectors
899 E. 12th Street
PO Box 959
Des Moines, IA 50304

2. Get Your Substitute Address

Once your application is received in the office, it will be processed and an enrollment packet and participant card will be mailed to your confidential address.

3. Stay Protected

Get peace of mind knowing that your personal information is protected.

Forms

Voter Registration Form

Absentee Ballot Requests

Change of Information

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Protect our Protectors?

Protect Our Protectors (POP) is an address confidentiality program. It provides a legal substitute address, mail forwarding service, and confidential voter registration and absentee voting for individuals employed in law enforcement and the judicial system.

Who is eligible to apply for the program?

  • Law enforcement officers and civilian employees of law enforcement agencies
  • Judges
  • Prosecuting attorneys
  • All spouses and children of individuals employed in these professions

How do participants apply for the program?

Eligible participants can apply for the program online at https://protectingourprotectors.iowa.gov/. You can also mail your application to the following address:
Protect our Protectors
899 E. 12th Street
PO Box 959
Des Moines, IA 50304

Where can participants use the legal substitute address?

City, county and state offices, such as city clerks, county clerks, county treasurers, schools, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Human Services and other similar offices are required to accept the legal substitute address when presented with certification from a program participant. Private organizations requiring a mailing address must also accept the substitute address as the participant’s legal address. The confidential address does not apply to real estate records.

How will I receive my mail?

When a participant’s mail is received in the Secretary of State’s office, it is forwarded to the participant’s mailing address the same business day that it is received in the office. Participants must understand that mail could be delayed up to seven days.

How long is my address protected within the program?

Participants will remain in the program for 4 years, after which they will need to re-enroll, or until they decide to withdraw from the program.

How do participants register to vote?

Participants’ voter registration applications / updates are submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office instead of their County Auditor. Participants’ voter registration records are not visible in the state voter registration system. All voter registration forms and absentee request forms should be mailed to POP staff.

Can participants vote in person on Election Day?

No. Protect Our Protectors participants must vote by absentee ballot. Their ballot requests are handled by the POP program staff and the State Commissioner of Elections.

How does the program secure participants’ contact information?

A secure computer database has been created to house all data provided by participants. All paper documents are housed in a locked filing cabinet in a locked office. POP program staff members are the only ones with access to the participant database.

Do participants have to pay to enroll in the program?

No. There is no enrollment fee and no cost to the program participants.

Paul D. Pate

Iowa Secretary of State

Service · Participation · Integrity

Office of the Iowa Secretary of State
515.725.7233