Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Etowah County, Alabama, has about 103,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Etowah County depends on where the incident happened: the Etowah County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Alabama Public Records Law requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Etowah County public records, Etowah County arrest records, Etowah County warrants, Etowah County criminal records, Etowah County court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Etowah County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Etowah County that is the Etowah County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's list also carries Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit (other agency), with a records office of its own.
The Boaz Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Etowah County, so its arrests are not broken out for Etowah County here.
Reports from the Etowah County Sheriff's Office
The Etowah County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 15 violent and 72 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 121 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Etowah County
The nine cities the FBI lists in Etowah County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Gadsden: 131 violent and 713 property crimes reported for 2025; 299 arrests reported for 2025.
- Rainbow City: 8 violent and 85 property crimes reported for 2025; 297 arrests reported for 2025.
- Southside: 3 violent and 36 property crimes reported for 2025; 53 arrests reported for 2025. The Southside police department's page is at cityofsouthside.com/public-safety/police, phone 256-442-2312 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Attalla: 37 violent and 248 property crimes reported for 2025; 275 arrests reported for 2025.
- Glencoe: 5 violent and 37 property crimes reported for 2025; 149 arrests reported for 2025. The Glencoe police department's page is at cityofglencoe.org/police, phone (256) 442-2789 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Hokes Bluff: 2 violent and 25 property crimes reported for 2025; 115 arrests reported for 2025.
- Sardis City: 6 violent and 16 property crimes reported for 2025; 114 arrests reported for 2025.
- Altoona: 0 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2025; 6 arrests reported for 2025.
- Walnut Grove: 0 arrests reported for 2023.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Etowah County in 2025
The nine agencies in Etowah County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 207 violent and 1,240 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the nine agencies in Etowah County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,429 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Alabama Public Records Law Requires
Under the Alabama Public Records Law the agency must answer a request within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline, and it may charge a reasonable fee for copies. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at etowah.alacourt.gov/record-request-and-copies (page title: Etowah County | Sixteenth Circuit Court of Alabama).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Etowah County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Etowah County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Alabama Public Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline.
How long does an agency in Etowah County have to answer?
Under the Alabama Public Records Law, within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline. It may charge a reasonable fee for copies.
How do I get a report from the Etowah County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Alabama Public Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline.
Is this the official Etowah County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.