SearchSystems Editorial

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.

About this guide

San Mateo County, California, has about 743,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from San Mateo County depends on where the incident happened: the San Mateo 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 Mateo County public records, San Mateo County arrest records, San Mateo County warrants, San Mateo County criminal records, San Mateo County court records, California arrest records and California inmate search.

Which Agency Holds a Report from San Mateo 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 Mateo County that is the San Mateo 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 Redwood City Area Office in San Mateo County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.

The FBI's list also carries San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Mateo County and Union Pacific Railroad in San Mateo County (other agency), each with a records office of its own.

Reports from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 232 violent and 1,376 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 3,068 arrests for 2025.

Its reports come from its records unit.

Reports from the City Agencies in San Mateo County

The 15 cities the FBI lists in San Mateo County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:

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.

The rest: Atherton, Brisbane and Colma.

How Many Reports: San Mateo County in 2025

The 17 agencies in San Mateo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,666 violent and 10,286 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.

Together, the 17 agencies in San Mateo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 13,525 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 smcgov.org/ceo/public-records-act-request-form (page title: Public Records Act Request Form | County of San Mateo, CA).

A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (650) 363-4636, handles discovery for pending cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a police report in San Mateo County?

From the agency whose officer took it: the San Mateo 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 Mateo 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 Mateo County?

The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's Redwood City Area Office in San Mateo County.

How do I get a report from the San Mateo 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 Mateo 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.