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.
Dakota County, Minnesota, has about 453,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Dakota County depends on where the incident happened: the Dakota 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: Dakota County public records, Dakota County arrest records, Dakota County warrants, Dakota County inmate search, Dakota County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Dakota 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 Dakota County that is the Dakota 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 Northfield Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Dakota County, so its arrests are not broken out for Dakota County here.
Reports from the Dakota County Sheriff's Office
The Dakota County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 27 violent and 57 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 371 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 651-377-7188. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at dakotacountymn.gov/residents/public-safety-justice/jail/inmate-search (page title: Jail Inmate Search), phone 651-377-7188, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Dakota County
The 11 cities the FBI lists in Dakota County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Lakeville: 74 violent and 420 property crimes reported for 2025; 545 arrests reported for 2025. The Lakeville police department's page is at lakevillemn.gov/370/Police-Forms, phone 952-985-2800 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Eagan: 87 violent and 896 property crimes reported for 2025; 830 arrests reported for 2025.
- Burnsville: 106 violent and 970 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,010 arrests reported for 2025. The Burnsville police department's page is at burnsvillemn.gov/124/Police, phone 651-322-2323 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Apple Valley: 112 violent and 801 property crimes reported for 2025; 839 arrests reported for 2025.
- Inver Grove Heights: 58 violent and 392 property crimes reported for 2025; 453 arrests reported for 2025. The Inver Grove Heights police records page is at ighmn.gov/1366/Police-Records-Requests, phone 651-793-2400 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Rosemount: 19 violent and 144 property crimes reported for 2025; 303 arrests reported for 2025.
- Farmington: 12 violent and 68 property crimes reported for 2025; 120 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hastings: 20 violent and 186 property crimes reported for 2025; 457 arrests reported for 2025.
- West St. Paul: 58 violent and 848 property crimes reported for 2025; 856 arrests reported for 2025. The West St. Paul police department's page is at wspmn.gov/351/Police, phone 651-322-2323 (verified September 26, 2026).
- South St. Paul: 22 violent and 265 property crimes reported for 2025; 526 arrests reported for 2025.
- Mendota Heights: 6 violent and 97 property crimes reported for 2025; 96 arrests reported for 2025. The Mendota Heights police department's page is at mendotaheightsmn.gov/m/directory/department?did=7, phone 651-452-1366 (verified September 26, 2026).
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: Dakota County in 2025
The 12 agencies in Dakota County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 601 violent and 5,144 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 12 agencies in Dakota County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,406 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, 651-438-4438, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Dakota County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 651-377-7188. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Dakota 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.