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.
Barton County, Kansas, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Barton County depends on where the incident happened: the Barton 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 Kansas Open 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: Barton County public records, Barton County arrest records, Barton County warrants, Barton County inmate search, Barton County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Barton County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Barton County that is the Barton 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 Barton County Sheriff's Office
The Barton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 20 violent and 40 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 450 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at bartoncounty.org/vnews/display.v/ART/51782a98905f1 (page title: Barton County | Detention Facility), 1408 Kansas Ave Great Bend, KS 67530, Wednesday's at 7:00 PM. Check-In from 6:15 PM to 6:45 PM., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Barton County
The four cities the FBI lists in Barton County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Great Bend: 48 violent and 181 property crimes reported for 2025; 264 arrests reported for 2025. The Great Bend police department's page is at greatbendks.gov/404/Police-Department, phone 620-793-4111 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Hoisington: 5 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 58 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ellinwood: 2 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 57 arrests reported for 2025.
- Claflin: 1 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Barton County in 2025
The four agencies in Barton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 75 violent and 236 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Barton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 829 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
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 bartoncountyks.nextrequest.com (page title: Open Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (785) 296-2215, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Barton County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Barton County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
How long does an agency in Barton County 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 Barton 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 Barton 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.