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 on September 24, 2026.
Bourbon County, Kansas, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Bourbon County depends on where the incident happened: the Bourbon 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: Bourbon County public records, Bourbon County arrest records, Bourbon County warrants, Bourbon County inmate search, Bourbon County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Bourbon 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 Bourbon County that is the Bourbon 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 Bourbon County Sheriff's Office
The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 24 violent and 32 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 209 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at bourboncountysheriffks.org/inmate-roster/filters/current/booking_ti... (page title: Inmate Roster | Bourbon County Sheriff's Office Kansas | Sort Booking Time | Descending | Page 1), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Bourbon County
The one city the FBI lists in Bourbon County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Fort Scott: 35 violent and 155 property crimes reported for 2025; 179 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.
How Many Reports: Bourbon County in 2025
The two agencies in Bourbon County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 59 violent and 187 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Bourbon County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 388 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 bourboncountyks.org/open-records (page title: Open Records | Bourbon County Kansas).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Bourbon County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Bourbon 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 Bourbon 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 Bourbon 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 Bourbon 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.