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.
Buchanan County, Missouri, has about 84,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Buchanan County depends on where the incident happened: the Buchanan 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: Buchanan County public records, Buchanan County arrest records, Buchanan County warrants, Buchanan County inmate search, Buchanan County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Buchanan 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 Buchanan County that is the Buchanan 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 carries Missouri Western State University (campus police) and Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Gower Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Buchanan County, so its arrests are not broken out for Buchanan County here.
Reports from the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 11 violent and 118 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 268 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at inmate.co.buchanan.mo.us/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/buchananco?Page=1 (page title: Inmate Search), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Buchanan County
The one city the FBI lists in Buchanan County with a reporting agency of its own:
- St. Joseph: 354 violent and 2,559 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,039 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: Buchanan County in 2025
The two agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 365 violent and 2,677 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,307 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Missouri Sunshine Law Requires
Under the Missouri Sunshine Law the agency must answer a request within 3 business days, and it may charge research time and copying. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Buchanan County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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.