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 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Steele County, Minnesota, has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Steele County depends on where the incident happened: the Steele 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: Steele County public records, Steele County arrest records, Steele County warrants, Steele County inmate search, Steele County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Steele 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 Steele County that is the Steele 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 Steele County Sheriff's Office
The Steele County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 8 violent and 35 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 113 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at steelecountymn.gov/search.php?q=Inmate+Roster (page title: Steele County, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Steele County
The two cities the FBI lists in Steele County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Owatonna: 57 violent and 167 property crimes reported for 2025; 367 arrests reported for 2025.
- Blooming Prairie: 2 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2025; 13 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: Steele County in 2025
The three agencies in Steele County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 67 violent and 206 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Steele County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 493 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Steele County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele 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.