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 September 30, 2026.
Harlan County, Kentucky, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Harlan County depends on where the incident happened: the Harlan 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: Harlan County public records, Harlan County arrest records, Harlan County warrants, Harlan County inmate search, Harlan County criminal records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Harlan 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 Harlan County that is the Harlan 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 Harlan County Schools and the Harlan Independent School District (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Harlan County Sheriff's Office
The Harlan County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 8 violent and 16 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 733 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 606-878-8922. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at harlandc.com (page title: Welcome to the Harlan County Detention Center), phone 606-878-8922, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Harlan County
The six cities the FBI lists in Harlan County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Harlan: 1 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 191 arrests reported for 2025.
- Cumberland: 2 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025; 228 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lynch: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 14 arrests reported for 2025.
- Evarts: 2 violent and 13 property crimes reported for 2025; 98 arrests reported for 2025.
- Loyall: 0 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 11 arrests reported for 2025.
- Benham: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 1 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: Harlan County in 2025
The seven agencies in Harlan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 13 violent and 48 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Harlan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,276 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Kentucky Open Records Act Requires
The Kentucky Open Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 5 business days, at a charge of the actual cost of copying, 10 cents a page for standard copies, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Harlan County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 606-878-8922. Under the Kentucky Open Records Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official Harlan 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.