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 on September 23, 2026.
Dorchester County, Maryland, has about 33,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Dorchester County depends on where the incident happened: the Dorchester 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 Maryland Public Information 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: Dorchester County public records, Dorchester County arrest records, Dorchester County warrants, Dorchester County inmate search, Dorchester County criminal records, Maryland arrest records and Maryland inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Dorchester 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 Dorchester County that is the Dorchester 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 Dorchester County State Police in Dorchester County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
Reports from the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office
The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 31 violent and 93 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 181 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at docosheriff.com/inmateSearch (page title: Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office (MD)), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Dorchester County
The two cities the FBI lists in Dorchester County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Cambridge: 65 violent and 489 property crimes reported for 2025; 380 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hurlock: 14 violent and 43 property crimes reported for 2025; 42 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: Dorchester County in 2025
The three agencies in Dorchester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 110 violent and 625 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Dorchester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 603 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Maryland Public Information Act Requires
The Maryland Public Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days, at a charge of staff time after the first two hours, plus copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Dorchester County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Maryland Public Information Act the answer is due within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days.
How long does an agency in Dorchester County have to answer?
Under the Maryland Public Information Act, within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days. It may charge staff time after the first two hours, plus copying.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Dorchester County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Dorchester County State Police in Dorchester County.
How do I get a report from the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Maryland Public Information Act the answer is due within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days.
Is this the official Dorchester 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.