Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest 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 26, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Independence, Kansas, in Montgomery County, has about 8,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). In Kansas the public criminal record is the court file, kept by the Clerk of the District Court; the statewide criminal history kept by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is open to anyone who asks. This guide says where each record of a criminal case from Independence is kept and how it is seen.
This guide covers the court file, the statewide record, local arrest records, the prosecutor, sex offender registry, records requests and common questions.
Related guides: Independence public records, Montgomery County criminal records, Independence arrest records, Independence warrants, Independence inmate search, Independence court records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Criminal Cases in the Montgomery County District Court
In Kansas the public criminal record is the court file. Criminal cases from Independence are heard by the Montgomery County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, and the file of each case is kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at casesearch.kscourts.gov (page title: Search | Kansas Case Search), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search.
The Kansas Criminal History and Your Own Copy
Kansas is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online, through the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The result is the repository record, what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Arrest Records Kept Locally in Independence
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Independence (filed by the FBI as Independence Police Department) keep the arrest records in and around Independence: the report and the booking record of each arrest stay with the agency that made it, separate from the court file and from the state repository.
Together, the three agencies in Montgomery County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 483 arrests to the FBI that year; how each case ended is in the court file, not in the arresting agency's.
The agencies and their counts, year by year, are in Independence arrest records.
The County Attorney for Montgomery County
The County Attorney decides which arrests in Montgomery County become charges and files them in the Montgomery County District Court; the office answers questions about pending prosecutions, and the case files themselves are court records.
The office's page SearchSystems verified is at mgcountyks.org/172/County-Attorney (page title: County Attorney | Montgomery County, KS), phone 620-330-1140, 300 E Main St Judicial Center Independence, KS 67301, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), so open it in a browser.
The Sex Offender Registry for Independence
Registered sex offenders living in Independence are listed on the Kansas Offender Registry, run by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at kansas.gov/kbi/ro.shtml. Sex, violent and drug offenders are all listed.
Registration itself is done in person with the local agency where the registrant lives: the sheriff's office, or the city police in a city with its own department.
Asking an Agency in Montgomery County for a Record
An arrest report, a booking record or a local criminal history letter comes from the agency that holds it, not from the court.
Under the Kansas Open Records Act a county office must answer a request within 3 business days, and it may charge staff time and copying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are criminal records public in Independence?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Kansas Open Records Act.
Can I search Independence criminal cases online?
Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search.
How do I get my own Kansas criminal history?
Through the same record check, run on yourself.
Who prosecutes crimes in Independence?
The County Attorney, reached at 620-330-1140, which files its cases in the Montgomery County District Court.
Is this the official Independence 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.