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 4, 2026.
Ottawa County, Michigan, has about 306,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Ottawa County depends on where the incident happened: the Ottawa 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: Ottawa County public records, Ottawa County arrest records, Ottawa County warrants, Ottawa County inmate search, Ottawa County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Ottawa 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 Ottawa County that is the Ottawa 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 Ottawa County State Police in Ottawa County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's list also carries Grand Valley State University (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 679 violent and 1,713 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,780 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (616) 738-4000. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at miottawa.org/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Ottawa County, MI), phone (616) 738-4000, 12220, Monday 8:00am to 5:00pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Ottawa County
The three cities the FBI lists in Ottawa County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Holland: 659 arrests reported for 2024. The Holland police records page is at cityofholland.com/680/Record-Requests-FOIA, phone 616.355.1109 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Grand Haven: 24 violent and 79 property crimes reported for 2025; 115 arrests reported for 2025. The Grand Haven police records page is at grandhaven.org/downloads/depts/ps-forms/local_records_check.pdf, phone (800) 249-0911 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Zeeland: 11 violent and 25 property crimes reported for 2025; 40 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: Ottawa County in 2025
The three agencies in Ottawa County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 714 violent and 1,817 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Ottawa County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,935 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at miottawa.org/clerk/circuit-court-records/search-request-records (page title: Search & Request Records | Ottawa County, MI).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Ottawa County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Ottawa County State Police in Ottawa County.
How do I get a report from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (616) 738-4000. Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 10-day extension.
Is this the official Ottawa 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.