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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Hays, Kansas, in Ellis County, 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 Hays depends on where the incident happened. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Kansas Open 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: Hays public records, Ellis County police reports, Hays arrest records, Hays warrants, Hays inmate search, Hays criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Hays
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 Hays that is the agency that reports to the FBI for the city (filed by the FBI as Hays Police Department); outside it, the Ellis County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's list also carries Fort Hays State University (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Hays Police
For Hays, SearchSystems opened and checked the Hays police records page at haysusa.com/FormCenter/Police-8/Request-for-Records-63 (page title: Form Center, Request for Records), phone 785-625-1024, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 27, 2026.
The agency that reports for Hays had 54 violent and 215 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 877 arrests for 2025.
Reports from the Ellis County Sheriff's Office
The Ellis County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 16 violent and 49 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 211 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at ellisco.net/102/Sheriff (page title: Ellis County Sheriff's Office | Ellis County, KS), 105 W. 12th St. Hays, KS 67601, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
What the Kansas Open Records Act Requires
The Kansas Open Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 3 business days, at a charge of staff time and copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at ellisco.net/637/Kansas-Open-Records-Act (page title: Kansas Open Records Act | Ellis County, KS).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Hays?
From the agency that took it. The Hays police records page is at haysusa.com, phone 785-625-1024; the sheriff's reports come from the Ellis County Sheriff's Office.
How long does an agency in Hays have to answer?
Under the Kansas Open Records Act, within 3 business days. It may charge staff time and copying.
How do I get a report from the Ellis County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Hays 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.