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 2, 2026.
Chaffee County, Colorado, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Chaffee County depends on where the incident happened: the Chaffee 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: Chaffee County public records, Chaffee County arrest records, Chaffee County warrants, Chaffee County inmate search, Chaffee County criminal records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Chaffee 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 Chaffee County that is the Chaffee 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.
Reports from the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office
The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 20 violent and 24 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 214 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 719-539-2596. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at chaffeecounty.org/departments/sheriff/jail/index.php (page title: Welcome to Chaffee County, CO), phone 719-539-2596, MON 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 2, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Chaffee County
The two cities the FBI lists in Chaffee County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Salida: 3 violent and 33 property crimes reported for 2025; 242 arrests reported for 2025.
- Buena Vista: 1 violent and 17 property crimes reported for 2025; 76 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: Chaffee County in 2025
The three agencies in Chaffee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 24 violent and 74 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Chaffee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 532 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at chaffeecountyco.nextrequest.com (page title: Chaffee County Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 719-539-2218, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Chaffee County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 719-539-2596. 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 Chaffee 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.