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 October 2, 2026.
Cowley County, Kansas, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Cowley County depends on where the incident happened: the Cowley 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: Cowley County public records, Cowley County arrest records, Cowley County warrants, Cowley County inmate search, Cowley County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Cowley 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 Cowley County that is the Cowley 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 Cowley County Sheriff's Office
The Cowley County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 23 violent and 46 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 94 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at cowleycountyks.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=41 (page title: Archive Center, Sheriff | Inmate Rosters), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 2, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Cowley County
The four cities the FBI lists in Cowley County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Arkansas City: 52 violent and 275 property crimes reported for 2025; 385 arrests reported for 2025.
- Winfield: 37 violent and 379 property crimes reported for 2025; 205 arrests reported for 2025.
- Udall.
- Burden.
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: Cowley County in 2025
The three agencies in Cowley County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 112 violent and 700 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Cowley County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 684 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Kansas Open Records Act Requires
Under the Kansas Open Records Act the agency must answer a request within 3 business days, and it may charge staff time and copying. 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 cowleycountyks.gov/204/Open-Records (page title: Open Records | Cowley County, KS).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 620-221-5823, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Cowley County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Cowley 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 Cowley 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 Cowley 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 Cowley 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.