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.
Adams County, Colorado, has about 543,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Adams County depends on where the incident happened: the Adams 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 Colorado Open 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: Adams County public records, Adams County arrest records, Adams County warrants, Adams County inmate search, Adams County criminal records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Adams 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 Adams County that is the Adams 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 carries the University of Colorado at Denver (campus police), with a records office of its own.
The Arvada Police Department and the Aurora Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Adams County, so their arrests are not broken out for Adams County here.
Reports from the Adams County Sheriff's Office
The Adams County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 385 violent and 2,157 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 6,472 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (303) 288-1535. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at adamssheriffco.gov/community/public-records/inmate-search (page title: Inmate Search | Adams County Sheriff Office), phone (303) 288-1535, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Adams County
The six cities the FBI lists in Adams County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Thornton: 371 violent and 3,378 property crimes reported for 2025; 5,705 arrests reported for 2025. The Thornton police records page is at forms.thorntonco.gov/Police/RequestForCriminalJusticeInformation, phone 303-538-7230 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Westminster: 331 violent and 3,359 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,289 arrests reported for 2025.
- Commerce City: 536 violent and 1,800 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,039 arrests reported for 2025. The Commerce City police records page is at c3gov.com/Public-Safety/Police-Department/Records-and-Crime-Statistics, phone 303-287-2844 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Brighton: 220 violent and 1,059 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,995 arrests reported for 2025.
- Northglenn: 140 violent and 902 property crimes reported for 2025; 921 arrests reported for 2025.
- Federal Heights: 82 violent and 318 property crimes reported for 2025; 697 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: Adams County in 2025
The seven agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,065 violent and 12,973 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 21,118 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Colorado Open Records Act Requires
The Colorado Open Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 3 working days, extendable to 7 when there are extenuating circumstances, at a charge of research and retrieval time after the first hour, plus copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Adams County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Adams County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Colorado Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 working days, extendable to 7 when there are extenuating circumstances.
How long does an agency in Adams County have to answer?
Under the Colorado Open Records Act, within 3 working days, extendable to 7 when there are extenuating circumstances. It may charge research and retrieval time after the first hour, plus copying.
How do I get a report from the Adams County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (303) 288-1535. Under the Colorado Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 working days, extendable to 7 when there are extenuating circumstances.
Is this the official Adams 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.