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 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Jefferson County, Kansas, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Jefferson County depends on where the incident happened: the Jefferson 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, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Jefferson County public records, Jefferson County arrest records, Jefferson County warrants, Jefferson County inmate search, Jefferson County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County that is the Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it reported 260 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 785-863-2765. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at jeffersoncountykssheriff.com (page title: Jefferson County, Kansas Sheriff's Office), phone 785-863-2765, Monday through Friday, from 8am to 4pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Jefferson County
The eight cities the FBI lists in Jefferson County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Oskaloosa.
- Valley Falls: 17 arrests reported for 2021.
- Perry: 3 arrests reported for 2019.
- McLouth: 24 arrests reported for 2022.
- Meriden: 0 arrests reported for 2024.
- Ozawkie: 0 arrests reported for 2019.
- Nortonville: 0 arrests reported for 2025.
- Winchester: 0 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.
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 jfcountyks.com/141/Open-Records-Info (page title: Open Records Info | Jefferson County, KS).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (785) 863-2251, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Jefferson County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 785-863-2765. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Jefferson 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.