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 23, 2026.
Kern County, California, has about 923,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Kern County depends on where the incident happened: the Kern 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 California Public Records Act 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: Kern County public records, Kern County arrest records, Kern County warrants, Kern County inmate search, Kern County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Kern 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 Kern County that is the Kern 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 places the Highway Patrol's six offices in Kern County; a report taken on a state highway by one of them comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's list also carries California State University at Bakersfield (campus police) and the Kern High School District and Union Pacific Railroad in Kern County (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Kern County Sheriff's Office
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 3,163 violent and 6,171 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 6,885 arrests for 2023.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at kernsheriff.org/inmate-search (page title: Inmate Search | Kern County Sheriff’s Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Kern County
The ten cities the FBI lists in Kern County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Bakersfield: 2,087 violent and 9,503 property crimes reported for 2025; 11,479 arrests reported for 2025.
- Delano: 1,413 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ridgecrest: 159 violent and 246 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,634 arrests reported for 2025.
- Wasco: 94 violent and 277 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,014 arrests reported for 2025.
- Shafter: 76 violent and 290 property crimes reported for 2025; 998 arrests reported for 2025.
- Arvin: 466 arrests reported for 2020.
- McFarland: 53 violent and 87 property crimes reported for 2025; 485 arrests reported for 2025. The McFarland police department's page is at mcfarlandcity.org/emergency-services-public-safety/police, phone 661-792-2121 (verified September 25, 2026).
- California City: 66 violent and 181 property crimes reported for 2025; 218 arrests reported for 2025.
- Tehachapi: 43 violent and 180 property crimes reported for 2025; 478 arrests reported for 2025.
- Taft: 26 violent and 156 property crimes reported for 2025; 388 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: Kern County in 2025
The 11 agencies in Kern County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,773 violent and 17,121 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the ten agencies in Kern County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 18,122 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the California Public Records Act Requires
Under the California Public Records Act the agency must answer a request within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, and it may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time. 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 kerncountyca.nextrequest.com (page title: Open Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
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 Kern County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Kern County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
How long does an agency in Kern County have to answer?
Under the California Public Records Act, within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances. It may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Kern County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's six offices in Kern County.
How do I get a report from the Kern County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
Is this the official Kern 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.