DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – Iowa’s Office of Ombudsman, which investigates complaints related to local and state government, saw an almost 10% increase in cases opened during the last fiscal year. The agency’s annual report, published this week, indicates that during fiscal year 2025, the office opened 6,266 cases — a 9.6% increase from the previous year.

The number of opened cases represents the second-highest total in the history of the office, and is 57% higher than what was recorded in 2014. The highest number of opened cases was in 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still creating issues for government agencies and the people they serve.

The ombudsman’s office consists of 16 employees, a total that includes two administrative staffers.

In the new report, Ombudsman Bernardo Granwehr said that “with such a big workload, we must be selective about the cases we choose to investigate.” He said the office is focused on prioritizing complaints and “as a result, we can better handle situations when we are called to do more with our finite resources.”

Granwehr credited the staff with building relationships with key employees of governmental entities across the state, which he said has made the office more efficient in its investigations and “increased the probability that state and local government officials will be receptive to our recommendations.”

With regard to the complaints dealing with state entities, the annual report shows that 56% of those cases involved the Iowa Department of Corrections, and 24% involved the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

In December 2024, the office published a public report, “Sitting in Place: A Re-Examination of Restraint Device Use and Regulations for Iowa’s County Jails.” While restraint chairs can serve a legitimate function in protecting inmates and staff, prolonged use and a lack of medical oversight can lead to injury. The report noted that some Iowa jails lacked written policies that aligned with state standards, while other jails failed to document the duration and justification for their use of the devices.

The Office of Ombudsman says it will continue to monitor restraint-chair use in county jails, but notes that the Department of Corrections has yet to complete “needed revisions to jail administrative rules.”