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 September 30, 2026.
Bates County, Missouri, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Bates County depends on where the incident happened: the Bates 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 Missouri Sunshine Law 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: Bates County public records, Bates County arrest records, Bates County warrants, Bates County inmate search, Bates County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Bates 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 Bates County that is the Bates 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 Drexel Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Bates County, so its arrests are not broken out for Bates County here.
Reports from the Bates County Sheriff's Office
The Bates County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 68 violent and 57 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 78 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at batescountysheriff.gov/inmate-roster (page title: Inmate Roster | Bates County Sheriff's Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Bates County
The three cities the FBI lists in Bates County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Butler: 34 violent and 79 property crimes reported for 2025; 140 arrests reported for 2025.
- Adrian: 5 violent and 22 property crimes reported for 2025; 16 arrests reported for 2025.
- Rich Hill: 1 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 11 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: Bates County in 2025
The four agencies in Bates County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 108 violent and 172 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Bates County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 245 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Missouri Sunshine Law Requires
The Missouri Sunshine Law sets the rules: an answer within 3 business days, at a charge of research time and copying, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, (660) 386-7776, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Bates County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Bates County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law the answer is due within 3 business days.
How long does an agency in Bates County have to answer?
Under the Missouri Sunshine Law, within 3 business days. It may charge research time and copying.
How do I get a report from the Bates County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Bates 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.