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 4, 2026.
Clay County, Missouri, has about 263,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Clay County depends on where the incident happened: the Clay 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: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County inmate search, Clay County property records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Clay 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 Clay County that is the Clay 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 Lawson Police Department and the Kansas City Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Clay County, so their arrests are not broken out for Clay County here.
Reports from the Clay County Sheriff's Office
The Clay County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 53 violent and 79 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,626 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 816-407-3800. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at sheriffclayco.org/how-do-i/find-out-if-someone-is-in-jail (page title: How Do I Find If Someone is in Jail? | Clay County Sheriff's Office), phone 816-407-3800, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Clay County
The nine cities the FBI lists in Clay County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Liberty: 34 violent and 364 property crimes reported for 2025; 352 arrests reported for 2024. The Liberty police department's page is at libertymissouri.gov/55/Police, phone 816.439.4710 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Gladstone: 92 violent and 401 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,412 arrests reported for 2025. The Gladstone police records page is at gladstone.mo.us/Police/records-reports.php, phone (816) 423-4055 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Kearney: 141 arrests reported for 2025.
- Smithville: 98 arrests reported for 2025. The Smithville police records page is at smithvillemo.org/departments/police/services/police_records_request..., phone (816) 858-3521 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Excelsior Springs: 33 violent and 187 property crimes reported for 2025; 500 arrests reported for 2025. The Excelsior Springs police records page is at cityofesmo.com/espd/records-unit, phone 816.630.2000 (verified September 25, 2026).
- North Kansas City: 395 arrests reported for 2023. The North Kansas City police records page is at nkc.org/government/departments/police/request-a-report, phone 816-274-6013 (verified September 27, 2026).
- Pleasant Valley: 3 violent and 16 property crimes reported for 2025; 149 arrests reported for 2025.
- Claycomo: 13 violent and 34 property crimes reported for 2025; 348 arrests reported for 2025.
- Oakview: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 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: Clay County in 2025
The seven agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 228 violent and 1,081 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the eight agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,274 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at claycountymo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/238/Assessor-Public-Records-Re... (page title: CLAY COUNTY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE 1 Courthouse Square Liberty, MO 64068-2390).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 816-736-8300, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Clay County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 816-407-3800. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Clay 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.