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.
Stearns County, Minnesota, has about 164,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Stearns County depends on where the incident happened: the Stearns 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: Stearns County public records, Stearns County arrest records, Stearns County warrants, Stearns County inmate search, Stearns County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Stearns 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 Stearns County that is the Stearns 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 State Patrol at St. Cloud in Stearns County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The Eden Valley Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Stearns County, so its arrests are not broken out for Stearns County here.
Reports from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 31 violent and 74 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 496 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 320-259-3760. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at jailroster.stearnscountymn.gov/Current?page=1&sortOrder=booking_asc (page title: Stearns County, MN | Jail Roster Current Inmate Search), phone 320-259-3760, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Stearns County
The 11 cities the FBI lists in Stearns County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- St. Cloud: 263 violent and 1,834 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,647 arrests reported for 2025. The St. Cloud police records page is at ci.stcloud.mn.us/m/newsflash/home/detail/2784, phone (320) 251-1200 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Sartell: 14 violent and 198 property crimes reported for 2025; 400 arrests reported for 2023.
- Waite Park: 19 violent and 358 property crimes reported for 2025; 401 arrests reported for 2025. The Waite Park police records page is at ci.waitepark.mn.us/533/Request-for-Police-Records (verified September 26, 2026).
- St. Joseph: 14 violent and 35 property crimes reported for 2025; 74 arrests reported for 2025. The St. Joseph police department's page is at stjosephmn.gov/114/Police-Department, phone 320-363-8250 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Sauk Centre: 2 violent and 29 property crimes reported for 2025; 102 arrests reported for 2025.
- Cold Spring: 9 violent and 23 property crimes reported for 2025; 97 arrests reported for 2024.
- Melrose: 10 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2025; 15 arrests reported for 2025.
- Albany: 0 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025; 3 arrests reported for 2025.
- Paynesville: 3 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 10 arrests reported for 2025.
- Avon: 1 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 4 arrests reported for 2025.
- Belgrade: 2 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025; 4 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: Stearns County in 2025
The 12 agencies in Stearns County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 368 violent and 2,572 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the nine agencies in Stearns County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,260 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Stearns County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Stearns 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 Stearns 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.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Stearns County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the State Patrol at St. Cloud in Stearns County.
How do I get a report from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 320-259-3760. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Stearns 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.