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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Bristol County, Massachusetts, has about 589,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Bristol County depends on where the incident happened: the Bristol 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 Massachusetts Public Records Law 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: Bristol County public records, Bristol County arrest records, Bristol County warrants, Bristol County inmate search, Bristol County criminal records, Massachusetts arrest records and Massachusetts inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Bristol 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 Bristol County that is the Bristol 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 places the Bristol County State Police in Bristol County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's agency list also places four campus police departments and one state agency in Bristol County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Bristol County Sheriff's Office
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (508) 995-6400. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at masssheriffs.org/bristol-county-sheriffs-office (page title: Bristol County Sheriff's Office), phone (508) 995-6400, 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Bristol County
The five cities the FBI lists in Bristol County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- New Bedford: 349 violent and 1,576 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,286 arrests reported for 2025.
- Fall River: 727 violent and 1,467 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,970 arrests reported for 2025.
- Taunton: 241 violent and 660 property crimes reported for 2025; 972 arrests reported for 2025.
- Attleboro: 121 violent and 449 property crimes reported for 2025; 961 arrests reported for 2025. The Attleboro police records page is at attleboropolice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Records-Request-Form... (verified September 25, 2026).
- North Attleborough Town: 262 arrests reported for 2024. The North Attleborough Town police department's page is at northattleborough.gov/212/Police, phone 508-695-1212 (verified September 25, 2026).
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: Bristol County in 2025
The 19 agencies in Bristol County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,942 violent and 6,012 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 19 agencies in Bristol County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,586 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Massachusetts Public Records Law Requires
Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law the agency must answer a request within 10 business days, and it may charge staff time after the first four hours for towns and two for the state, plus 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 countyofbristol.net/how_do_i/request_for_public_records.php (page title: Welcome to Bristol County, MA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 508-997-0711, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Bristol County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Bristol County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
How long does an agency in Bristol County have to answer?
Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, within 10 business days. It may charge staff time after the first four hours for towns and two for the state, plus copying.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Bristol County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Bristol County State Police in Bristol County.
How do I get a report from the Bristol County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (508) 995-6400. Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Bristol 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.