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 4, 2026.
Lake County, Indiana, has about 503,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Lake County depends on where the incident happened: the Lake 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 Indiana Access to Public 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, Indiana arrest records and Indiana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lake 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 Lake County that is the Lake 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 Indiana University at Northwest (campus police) and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Lake County Sheriff's Office
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 54 violent and 126 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 888 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at lakecountysheriff.com/page.php?id=30 (page title: Lake County Sheriff | Lake County Sheriff), 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307-1854, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lake County
The 17 cities the FBI lists in Lake County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Hammond: 445 violent and 1,877 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,633 arrests reported for 2025. The Hammond police department's page is at hammondpolice.com (verified September 25, 2026).
- Gary: 936 violent and 2,068 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,477 arrests reported for 2025. The Gary police department's page is at gary.gov/police, phone (219) 881-7300 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Merrillville: 47 violent and 500 property crimes reported for 2025; 505 arrests reported for 2025. The Merrillville police records page is at merrillville.in.gov/living-here/police-department/file-a-police-report, phone 219-769-5711 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Crown Point: 32 violent and 131 property crimes reported for 2025; 628 arrests reported for 2025.
- Schererville: 22 violent and 280 property crimes reported for 2025; 840 arrests reported for 2025. The Schererville police department's page is at schererville.org/department/index.php?structureid=19, phone (219) 322-5000 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Hobart: 47 violent and 650 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,417 arrests reported for 2025. The Hobart police records page is at cityofhobart.org/166/Incident-Reports, phone 219-942-1125 (verified September 25, 2026).
- East Chicago: 145 violent and 321 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,340 arrests reported for 2025.
- St. John: 7 violent and 36 property crimes reported for 2025; 348 arrests reported for 2025. The St. John police department's page is at stjohnin.gov/police-department/citations, phone 219-755-3620 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Munster: 17 violent and 210 property crimes reported for 2025; 205 arrests reported for 2025.
- Highland: 37 violent and 287 property crimes reported for 2025; 517 arrests reported for 2025. The Highland police department's page is at highland.in.gov/highland-police-department, phone (219) 838-3184 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Cedar Lake: 14 violent and 33 property crimes reported for 2025; 199 arrests reported for 2025.
- Dyer: 4 violent and 28 property crimes reported for 2025; 294 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.
The rest: Griffith, Lake Station, Lowell, Whiting and New Chicago.
How Many Reports: Lake County in 2025
The 16 agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,848 violent and 6,771 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 17 agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,363 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Indiana Access to Public Records Act Requires
Under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act the agency must answer a request within 24 hours for a request made in person and 7 days for one sent by mail or email, and it may charge a copy fee set by the agency, within statutory limits. 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 lakecountyin.gov/departments/lc911/public-records-request (page title: Public Records Request).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 219-755-3720, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Lake County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lake County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. 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.
How long does an agency in Lake County 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 Lake County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. 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 Lake 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.