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.
Shawnee County, Kansas, has about 178,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Shawnee County depends on where the incident happened: the Shawnee 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: Shawnee County public records, Shawnee County arrest records, Shawnee County warrants, Shawnee County inmate search, Shawnee County criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Shawnee 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 Shawnee County that is the Shawnee 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 agency list also places five other agencies, seven state agencies and one campus police department in Shawnee County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office
The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 122 violent and 563 property crimes reported for 2023 and reported 447 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at snco.gov/sh/directory_criminal_investigations.php (page title: Criminal Investigation Division, Directory, Sheriff’s Office (Shawnee County, Kansas)), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Shawnee County
The four cities the FBI lists in Shawnee County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Topeka: 1,207 violent and 5,117 property crimes reported for 2023; 2,969 arrests reported for 2025.
- Silver Lake.
- Auburn.
- Rossville.
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: Shawnee County in 2023
The two agencies in Shawnee County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 1,329 violent and 5,680 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Shawnee County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 3,466 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 snco.gov/clerk/kora.php (page title: Open Records Requests, Clerk (Shawnee County, Kansas)).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 785.251.4330, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Shawnee County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Shawnee 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 Shawnee 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 Shawnee 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 Shawnee 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.