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.
McDonald County, Missouri, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from McDonald County depends on where the incident happened: the McDonald 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: McDonald County public records, McDonald County arrest records, McDonald County warrants, McDonald County inmate search, McDonald County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from McDonald 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 McDonald County that is the McDonald 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.
Reports from the McDonald County Sheriff's Office
The McDonald County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 82 violent and 118 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 112 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 417-895-6868. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at mcdonaldcountysheriff.com/detention_center.html (page title: Welcome to the McDonald County Sheriff's Office Website), phone 417-895-6868, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in McDonald County
The six cities the FBI lists in McDonald County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Noel: 7 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 40 arrests reported for 2025.
- Anderson: 2 violent and 11 property crimes reported for 2025; 57 arrests reported for 2025.
- Goodman: 11 violent and 9 property crimes reported for 2025; 24 arrests reported for 2025.
- Southwest City: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pineville: 6 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 57 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lanagan.
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: McDonald County in 2025
The six agencies in McDonald County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 108 violent and 170 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in McDonald County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 290 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 417-223-4142, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in McDonald County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the McDonald 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 417-895-6868. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official McDonald 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.