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.
Berrien County, Michigan, has about 153,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Berrien County depends on where the incident happened: the Berrien 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 Michigan Freedom of 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: Berrien County public records, Berrien County arrest records, Berrien County warrants, Berrien County inmate search, Berrien County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Berrien 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 Berrien County that is the Berrien 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 Berrien County State Police in Berrien County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
Reports from the Berrien County Sheriff's Office
The Berrien County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 160 violent and 533 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 869 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 269-983-7141. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at berriencountymi.gov/558/Inmate-Search (page title: Inmate Search | Berrien County, MI), phone 269-983-7141, 919 Port Street St. Joseph, MI 49085, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Berrien County
The 15 cities the FBI lists in Berrien County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first:
- Niles: 41 violent and 160 property crimes reported for 2025; 423 arrests reported for 2025.
- Benton Harbor: 183 violent and 252 property crimes reported for 2025; 610 arrests reported for 2025.
- St. Joseph: 15 violent and 108 property crimes reported for 2025; 171 arrests reported for 2025.
- St. Joseph (township): 15 violent and 59 property crimes reported for 2025; 80 arrests reported for 2025.
- Buchanan: 8 violent and 54 property crimes reported for 2025; 51 arrests reported for 2025.
- Bridgman: 2 violent and 15 property crimes reported for 2025; 26 arrests reported for 2025.
- Berrien Springs: 13 violent and 44 property crimes reported for 2025; 79 arrests reported for 2025.
- Watervliet: 8 violent and 13 property crimes reported for 2025; 31 arrests reported for 2025.
- New Buffalo: 11 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2025; 20 arrests reported for 2025.
- Coloma: 8 violent and 32 property crimes reported for 2025; 75 arrests reported for 2025.
- Three Oaks: 2 violent and 7 property crimes reported for 2025; 19 arrests reported for 2025.
- Baroda: 8 violent and 19 property crimes reported for 2025; 47 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.
The rest: Eau Claire, Galien and Grand Beach.
How Many Reports: Berrien County in 2025
The 18 agencies in Berrien County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 731 violent and 2,201 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 18 agencies in Berrien County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,464 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Michigan Freedom of Information Act Requires
Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension, and it may charge labor and copying, at rates the law caps. 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 Prosecuting Attorney, 269-983-7111, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Berrien County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Berrien County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension.
How long does an agency in Berrien County have to answer?
Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension. It may charge labor and copying, at rates the law caps.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Berrien County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Berrien County State Police in Berrien County.
How do I get a report from the Berrien County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 269-983-7141. Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension.
Is this the official Berrien 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.