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.
Branch County, Michigan, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Branch County depends on where the incident happened: the Branch 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: Branch County public records, Branch County arrest records, Branch County warrants, Branch County inmate search, Branch County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Branch 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 Branch County that is the Branch 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 Branch County State Police in Branch County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
Reports from the Branch County Sheriff's Office
The Branch County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 62 violent and 98 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 167 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 517.278.2325. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at branchcounty.gov/sheriff/jail (page title: Corrections | Branch County, Michigan), phone 517.278.2325, 379 Keith Wilhelm Dr. Coldwater, MI 49036, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Branch County
The four cities the FBI lists in Branch County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Coldwater: 46 violent and 195 property crimes reported for 2025; 261 arrests reported for 2025.
- Bronson: 3 violent and 29 property crimes reported for 2025; 8 arrests reported for 2025.
- Union City: 10 arrests reported for 2022.
- Quincy: 11 arrests reported for 2023.
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: Branch County in 2025
The three agencies in Branch County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 111 violent and 322 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Branch County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 436 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, 517.279.4319, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Branch County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Branch 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 Branch 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 Branch County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Branch County State Police in Branch County.
How do I get a report from the Branch County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 517.278.2325. Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension.
Is this the official Branch 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.