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 on September 24, 2026.
Houston County, Alabama, has about 109,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Houston County depends on where the incident happened: the Houston 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: Houston County public records, Houston County arrest records, Houston County warrants, Houston County criminal records, Houston County court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Houston 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 Houston County that is the Houston 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 Wallace Community College at Dothan (campus police) and the Dothan-Houston County Airport Authority (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Houston County Sheriff's Office
The Houston County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 122 violent and 397 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 850 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Houston County
The eight cities the FBI lists in Houston County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Dothan: 575 violent and 1,822 property crimes reported for 2025; 5,119 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ashford: 21 arrests reported for 2024.
- Taylor: 0 arrests reported for 2024.
- Kinsey: 1 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 37 arrests reported for 2025.
- Webb.
- Cottonwood: 0 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2025; 23 arrests reported for 2025.
- Columbia: 1 violent and 7 property crimes reported for 2025; 35 arrests reported for 2025.
- Gordon: 8 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Houston County in 2025
The five agencies in Houston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 699 violent and 2,237 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Houston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,064 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Houston County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston 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.