Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Stafford County, Kansas, has about 3,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office and three city agencies. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the County Attorney files charges, a case in the Stafford County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, arrest counts, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Stafford County public records, Kansas arrest records, Kansas inmate search and Kansas criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Stafford County
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Stafford County. It reported 19 arrests for 2023, its latest complete year.
Arrests inside three of the county's cities are reported to the FBI by an agency of the city's own, listed here with the Census population and what each reported:
- St. John, 1,173 residents: 9 arrests reported for 2024.
- Stafford, 920 residents: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Macksville, 455 residents: 1 arrests reported for 2019.
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.
Arrest Counts on File for Stafford County
The FBI publishes monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. For Stafford County the counts on file are partial: Stafford, Stafford County Sheriff's Office, St. John and Macksville have sent some months but no full year since 2019, so no annual total is given here.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Stafford County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Stafford County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Stafford County Sheriff's Office at staffordcounty.org/sheriff--communications.html (page title: Sheriff | Communications | STAFFORD COUNTY, KANSAS), phone (620) 549-3247, 3509 Courthouse 209 N Broadway St. John, KS 67576, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
A person sentenced to prison serves the sentence in a facility of the Kansas Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.ks.gov/@@search?SearchableText=inmate+search.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Stafford County
Whether someone was arrested in Stafford County, and what came of it, shows up in two places: Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, the Kansas courts' statewide case search, which shows whether charges were filed; the County Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at staffordcounty.org/attorney.html, phone (620) 549-3501).
Kansas is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online, through the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Stafford County
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the agency must answer within 3 business days, and it may charge staff time and copying.
- An arrest by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at (620) 549-3247.
- An arrest in St. John, Stafford or Macksville: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (620) 549-3501, handles discovery for pending cases.
- Your own statewide record: the same request described above, for your own name.
Cities in Stafford County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for three of the six cities in Stafford County: St. John, Stafford and Macksville. Hudson, Seward and Radium have no separate reporting agency in the FBI's list.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Stafford County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Stafford County?
Ask the Stafford County Sheriff's Office at (620) 549-3247; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at staffordcounty.org.
Where are people arrested in Stafford County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Stafford County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Kansas Open Records Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Stafford County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Stafford 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.
Is this the official Stafford 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.