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.
South Bend, Indiana, in St. Joseph County, has about 104,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from South Bend depends on where the incident happened. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Indiana Access to Public Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the city's records page, the sheriff's reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: South Bend public records, St. Joseph County police reports, South Bend arrest records, South Bend warrants, South Bend inmate search, South Bend criminal records, Indiana arrest records and Indiana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from South Bend
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.
Inside South Bend that is the agency that reports to the FBI for the city (filed by the FBI as South Bend Police Department); outside it, the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's list also carries Indiana University at South Bend and the University of Notre Dame (campus police) and the St. Joseph County Airport Authority (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the South Bend Police
For South Bend, SearchSystems opened and checked the South Bend police records page at police.southbendin.gov/about-sbpd/record-bureau (page title: Records bureau | South Bend Police Department), phone (574) 235-9212, 701 W. Sample St. South Bend, IN 46601, Monday - Friday: 7AM-11PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
The agency that reports for South Bend reported 2,766 arrests for 2023.
Reports from the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 127 violent and 575 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 589 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 574-235-9611. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at sjcpd.org/inmate-search (page title: Inmate Search | St. Joseph County Police Department), phone 574-235-9611, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
What the Indiana Access to Public Records Act Requires
The Indiana Access to Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 24 hours for a request made in person and 7 days for one sent by mail or email, at a charge of a copy fee set by the agency, within statutory limits, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in South Bend?
From the agency that took it. The South Bend police records page is at police.southbendin.gov, phone (574) 235-9212; the sheriff's reports come from the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office.
How long does an agency in South Bend have to answer?
Under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, within 24 hours for a request made in person and 7 days for one sent by mail or email. It may charge a copy fee set by the agency, within statutory limits.
How do I get a report from the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 574-235-9611. Under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act the answer is due within 24 hours for a request made in person and 7 days for one sent by mail or email.
Is this the official South Bend website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.