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 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Merced County, California, has about 297,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Merced County depends on where the incident happened: the Merced 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: Merced County public records, Merced County arrest records, Merced County warrants, Merced County inmate search, Merced County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Merced County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Merced County that is the Merced 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 Merced and Los Banos Area Offices and the Highway Patrol at Chowchilla River Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility in Merced 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 Union Pacific Railroad in Merced County (other agency) and the University of California at Merced (campus police), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Merced County Sheriff's Office
The Merced County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 343 violent and 1,310 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,071 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at inmateinquiry.co.merced.ca.us/newworld.inmateinquiry/merced (page title: Inmate Search), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Merced County
The six cities the FBI lists in Merced County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Merced: 689 violent and 2,470 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,854 arrests reported for 2025.
- Los Banos: 125 violent and 726 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,413 arrests reported for 2025.
- Atwater: 187 violent and 668 property crimes reported for 2025; 752 arrests reported for 2025.
- Livingston: 50 violent and 226 property crimes reported for 2025; 203 arrests reported for 2025.
- Gustine: 145 arrests reported for 2025.
- Dos Palos: 27 violent and 80 property crimes reported for 2025; 199 arrests reported for 2025. The Dos Palos police department's page is at dospalos.gov/departments/police, phone (209) 392-2174 (verified September 26, 2026).
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: Merced County in 2025
The six agencies in Merced County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,421 violent and 5,480 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Merced County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,637 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (209) 385-7381, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Merced County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's Merced and Los Banos Area Offices and the Highway Patrol at Chowchilla River Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility in Merced County.
How do I get a report from the Merced 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 Merced 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.