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.
Cottonwood County, Minnesota, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Cottonwood County depends on where the incident happened: the Cottonwood 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 Minnesota Government Data Practices 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: Cottonwood County public records, Cottonwood County arrest records, Cottonwood County warrants, Cottonwood County inmate search, Cottonwood County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County that is the Cottonwood 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.
Reports from the Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office
The Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 11 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at cottonwoodcountymn.gov/departments/courts___legal/sheriff/jail_rost... (page title: Welcome to Cottonwood County, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Cottonwood County
The three cities the FBI lists in Cottonwood County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Windom: 9 violent and 35 property crimes reported for 2025; 101 arrests reported for 2025.
- Mountain Lake: 2 violent and 13 property crimes reported for 2025; 12 arrests reported for 2025.
- Westbrook: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 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: Cottonwood County in 2025
The four agencies in Cottonwood County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12 violent and 49 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Cottonwood County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 124 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Requires
The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act sets the rules: an answer promptly, within a reasonable time, at a charge of copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 507-831-5040, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Cottonwood County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
How long does an agency in Cottonwood County have to answer?
Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, promptly, within a reasonable time. It may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages.
How do I get a report from the Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Cottonwood 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.