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 4, 2026.
Franklin County, Kansas, has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Franklin County depends on where the incident happened: the Franklin 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: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County warrants, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Franklin 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 Franklin County that is the Franklin 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.
The FBI's list also carries Franklin County Drug Enforcement (other agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 56 violent and 50 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 441 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at franklincoks.org/199/Detention-Center (page title: Detention Center | Franklin County, KS), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Franklin County
The two cities the FBI lists in Franklin County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Ottawa: 24 violent and 145 property crimes reported for 2025; 348 arrests reported for 2025.
- Wellsville: 23 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: Franklin County in 2025
The two agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 80 violent and 195 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 789 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (785)229-8970, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Franklin County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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.