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 2, 2026.
Bell County, Kentucky, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Bell County depends on where the incident happened: the Bell 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 Kentucky 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: Bell County public records, Bell County arrest records, Bell County warrants, Bell County criminal records, Bell County court records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Bell 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 Bell County that is the Bell 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 Pineville Independent Schools, the Bell County School District and Middlesboro Independent Schools (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Bell County Sheriff's Office
The Bell County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 10 violent and 42 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 565 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Bell County
The two cities the FBI lists in Bell County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Middlesborough: 19 violent and 274 property crimes reported for 2025; 661 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pineville: 0 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 184 arrests reported for 2025.
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: Bell County in 2025
The three agencies in Bell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 29 violent and 330 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Bell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,410 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Kentucky Open Records Act Requires
Under the Kentucky Open Records Act the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying, 10 cents a page for standard copies. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Bell County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Bell County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Kentucky Open Records Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
How long does an agency in Bell County have to answer?
Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, within 5 business days. It may charge the actual cost of copying, 10 cents a page for standard copies.
How do I get a report from the Bell County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Kentucky Open Records Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official Bell 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.