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 24, 2026.
Story County, Iowa, has about 102,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Story County depends on where the incident happened: the Story 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 Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) 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: Story County public records, Story County arrest records, Story County warrants, Story County inmate search, Story County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Story 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 Story County that is the Story 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 Iowa State University (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Story County Sheriff's Office
The Story County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 10 violent and 56 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 169 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at storycountyiowa.gov/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=135 (page title: Quick Links, Sheriff's Office | Jail), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Story County
The four cities the FBI lists in Story County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Ames: 72 violent and 883 property crimes reported for 2025; 871 arrests reported for 2025.
- Nevada: 199 arrests reported for 2019. The Nevada police department's page is at cityofnevadaiowa.org/departments/police-department, phone 515-382-4305 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Huxley: 4 violent and 22 property crimes reported for 2025; 27 arrests reported for 2025.
- Story City: 2 violent and 33 property crimes reported for 2025; 30 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: Story County in 2025
The four agencies in Story County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 88 violent and 994 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Story County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,097 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the agency must answer a request without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, and it may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval. 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 storycountyiowa.gov/830/Open-Records-Requests (page title: Open Records Requests | Story County, IA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (515) 382-7255, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Story County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Story County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
How long does an agency in Story County have to answer?
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22), without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified. It may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
How do I get a report from the Story County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
Is this the official Story 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.