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.
San Luis Obispo County, California, has about 282,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from San Luis Obispo County depends on where the incident happened: the San Luis Obispo 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: San Luis Obispo County public records, San Luis Obispo County arrest records, San Luis Obispo County warrants, San Luis Obispo County inmate search, San Luis Obispo County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County that is the San Luis Obispo 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 Coastal Division and the Highway Patrol's Templeton and San Luis Obispo Area Offices in San Luis Obispo County; a report taken on a state highway by one of them comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's agency list also places four state agencies, one other agency and two campus police departments in San Luis Obispo County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 361 violent and 515 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,204 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at slosheriff.org/WebLogs/BookingLog (page title: BookingLog), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in San Luis Obispo County
The six cities the FBI lists in San Luis Obispo County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- San Luis Obispo: 175 violent and 1,035 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,691 arrests reported for 2023.
- Atascadero: 44 violent and 217 property crimes reported for 2025; 463 arrests reported for 2025.
- Arroyo Grande: 23 violent and 104 property crimes reported for 2025; 167 arrests reported for 2025. The Arroyo Grande police department's page is at arroyogrande.org/quicklinks.aspx?CID=78, phone (805) 473-5221 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Grover Beach: 27 violent and 83 property crimes reported for 2025; 315 arrests reported for 2025.
- Morro Bay: 21 violent and 109 property crimes reported for 2025; 288 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pismo Beach: 26 violent and 141 property crimes reported for 2025; 685 arrests reported for 2025. The Pismo Beach police department's page is at pismobeach.org/721/Police-Services, phone 805-773-2208 (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: San Luis Obispo County in 2025
The eight agencies in San Luis Obispo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 788 violent and 2,698 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in San Luis Obispo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,169 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 slocounty.ca.gov/departments/planning-building/most-requested-servi... (page title: Public Records Request | County of San Luis Obispo).
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 San Luis Obispo County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's Coastal Division and the Highway Patrol's Templeton and San Luis Obispo Area Offices in San Luis Obispo County.
How do I get a report from the San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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.