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 October 2, 2026.
Suffolk County, Massachusetts, has about 793,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Suffolk County depends on where the incident happened: the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department 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: Suffolk County public records, Suffolk County arrest records, Suffolk County warrants, Suffolk County inmate search, Suffolk County criminal records, Massachusetts arrest records and Massachusetts inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Suffolk 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 Suffolk County that is the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department 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 Suffolk County State Police in Suffolk 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 13 campus police departments, three other agencies and three state agencies in Suffolk County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (617) 635-1000. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at scsdma.org/sheriffs-office (page title: Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department), phone (617) 635-1000, 20 Bradston Street Boston, MA 02118, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Suffolk County
The four cities the FBI lists in Suffolk County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Boston: 3,915 violent and 12,947 property crimes reported for 2025; 7,705 arrests reported for 2025.
- Revere: 189 violent and 668 property crimes reported for 2025; 811 arrests reported for 2025.
- Chelsea: 317 violent and 567 property crimes reported for 2025; 714 arrests reported for 2025.
- Winthrop Town: 93 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: Suffolk County in 2025
The three agencies in Suffolk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,421 violent and 14,182 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Suffolk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,323 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Suffolk County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Suffolk County State Police in Suffolk County.
How do I get a report from the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (617) 635-1000. Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Suffolk 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.