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 October 4, 2026.
Winston County, Alabama, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Winston County depends on where the incident happened: the Winston 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: Winston County public records, Winston County arrest records, Winston County warrants, Winston County inmate search, Winston County criminal records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Winston 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 Winston County that is the Winston 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.
Reports from the Winston County Sheriff's Office
The Winston County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 15 violent and 97 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 80 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (205) 489-8765. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at winstonal.gov/new_page3/sheriff_office.php (page title: Winston County, AL), phone (205) 489-8765, 11 Blake Drive DOUBLE SPRINGS, AL 35553, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Winston County
The five cities the FBI lists in Winston County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Haleyville: 32 violent and 119 property crimes reported for 2025; 244 arrests reported for 2025.
- Double Springs: 2 violent and 16 property crimes reported for 2025; 83 arrests reported for 2025.
- Addison: 44 arrests reported for 2024.
- Lynn: 3 arrests reported for 2023.
- Arley: 2 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 23 arrests reported for 2025.
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: Winston County in 2025
The four agencies in Winston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 51 violent and 250 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Winston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 430 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Alabama Public Records Law Requires
The Alabama Public Records Law sets the rules: an answer within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline, at a charge of a reasonable fee for copies, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Winston County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Winston 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 Winston 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 Winston County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (205) 489-8765. Under the Alabama Public Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed deadline.
Is this the official Winston 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.