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.
Wadena County, Minnesota, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Wadena County depends on where the incident happened: the Wadena 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: Wadena County public records, Wadena County arrest records, Wadena County warrants, Wadena County inmate search, Wadena County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Wadena 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 Wadena County that is the Wadena 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 Staples Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Wadena County, so its arrests are not broken out for Wadena County here.
Reports from the Wadena County Sheriff's Office
The Wadena County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 10 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 91 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at wadenacounty.gov/204/In-Custody-List (page title: In Custody List | Wadena County, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Wadena County
The three cities the FBI lists in Wadena County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Wadena: 14 violent and 52 property crimes reported for 2025; 134 arrests reported for 2025.
- Menahga: 2 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025; 15 arrests reported for 2025.
- Sebeka: 0 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Wadena County in 2025
The three agencies in Wadena County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 26 violent and 61 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Wadena County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 240 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, 800-292-4152, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Wadena County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Wadena 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 Wadena 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 Wadena 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 Wadena 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.