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.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota, has about 61,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Otter Tail County depends on where the incident happened: the Otter Tail 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: Otter Tail County public records, Otter Tail County arrest records, Otter Tail County warrants, Otter Tail County inmate search, Otter Tail County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County that is the Otter Tail 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 Wadena Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Otter Tail County, so its arrests are not broken out for Otter Tail County here.
Reports from the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office
The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 38 violent and 92 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 258 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 218-998-8555. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at ottertailcounty.gov/public-safety-law/detention/jail-in-custody-list (page title: Jail In Custody List | Otter Tail County, MN), phone 218-998-8555, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Otter Tail County
The seven cities the FBI lists in Otter Tail County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Fergus Falls: 22 violent and 305 property crimes reported for 2025; 415 arrests reported for 2025.
- Perham: 27 arrests reported for 2024.
- Pelican Rapids: 2 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 7 arrests reported for 2025.
- New York Mills: 1 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2025; 8 arrests reported for 2025.
- Parkers Prairie: 0 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 7 arrests reported for 2025.
- Battle Lake: 1 violent and 2 property crimes reported for 2025; 6 arrests reported for 2025.
- Henning: 0 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025; 2 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: Otter Tail County in 2025
The seven agencies in Otter Tail County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 64 violent and 407 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Otter Tail County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 703 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Requires
Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the agency must answer a request promptly, within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages. 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 ottertailcounty.gov/licenses-permits-records-and-inspections/record... (page title: Data and Records Request | Otter Tail County, MN).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 218-998-8400, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Otter Tail County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 218-998-8555. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Otter Tail 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.