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.
Woodbury County, Iowa, has about 107,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Woodbury County depends on where the incident happened: the Woodbury 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: Woodbury County public records, Woodbury County arrest records, Woodbury County warrants, Woodbury County inmate search, Woodbury County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Woodbury 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 Woodbury County that is the Woodbury 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 Woodbury County Sheriff's Office
The Woodbury County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 29 violent and 32 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 274 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 712-279-6040. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at woodburycountyiowa.gov/sheriff/jail (page title: Jail Division | Sheriff | Woodbury County Government | Iowa), phone 712-279-6040, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Woodbury County
The two cities the FBI lists in Woodbury County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Sioux City: 431 violent and 2,452 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,478 arrests reported for 2025. The Sioux City police department's page is at sioux-city.org/166/Police, phone 712-224-5181 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Sergeant Bluff: 50 arrests reported for 2020.
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: Woodbury County in 2025
The two agencies in Woodbury County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 460 violent and 2,484 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Woodbury County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,752 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
The Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) sets the rules: an answer without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, at a charge of the actual cost of copying and retrieval, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 712-279-6516, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Woodbury County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Woodbury 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 Woodbury 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 Woodbury County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 712-279-6040. 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 Woodbury 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.