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.
Dent County, Missouri, has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Dent County depends on where the incident happened: the Dent 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: Dent County public records, Dent County arrest records, Dent County warrants, Dent County criminal records, Dent County court records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Dent 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 Dent County that is the Dent 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 Bunker Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Dent County, so its arrests are not broken out for Dent County here.
Reports from the Dent County Sheriff's Office
The Dent County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 17 violent and 49 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 51 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Dent County
The one city the FBI lists in Dent County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Salem: 9 violent and 80 property crimes reported for 2024; 61 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: Dent County in 2024
The two agencies in Dent County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 26 violent and 129 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Dent County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 108 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 Dent County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Dent 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 Dent 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 Dent 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 Dent 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.