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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Hancock County, Mississippi, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Hancock County depends on where the incident happened: the Hancock 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 Mississippi Public Records Act 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: Hancock County public records, Hancock County arrest records, Hancock County warrants, Hancock County inmate search, Hancock County criminal records, Mississippi arrest records and Mississippi inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Hancock 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 Hancock County that is the Hancock 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 Hancock County Sheriff's Office
The Hancock County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 16 violent and 233 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 734 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 228-466-6900. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at hancockso.com/InmateRoster/hancock_inmatelist.html (page title: Hancock County Sheriff's Office), phone 228-466-6900, 8450 Highway 90, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Hancock County
The two cities the FBI lists in Hancock County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Bay St. Louis: 13 violent and 207 property crimes reported for 2025; 301 arrests reported for 2025.
- Waveland: 3 violent and 138 property crimes reported for 2025; 558 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: Hancock County in 2025
The three agencies in Hancock County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 32 violent and 578 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Hancock County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,593 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Mississippi Public Records Act Requires
Under the Mississippi Public Records Act the agency must answer a request within 7 working days, or up to 14 where local rules allow, and it may charge the actual cost of search, review 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at hancockcounty.ms.gov/DocumentCenter/View/215/Hancock-County-Public-... (page title: HANCOCK COUNTY Public Records Request Form Date of Request _____ _).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 228-467-6631, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Hancock County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Hancock County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Mississippi Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 working days, or up to 14 where local rules allow.
How long does an agency in Hancock County have to answer?
Under the Mississippi Public Records Act, within 7 working days, or up to 14 where local rules allow. It may charge the actual cost of search, review and copying.
How do I get a report from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 228-466-6900. Under the Mississippi Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 working days, or up to 14 where local rules allow.
Is this the official Hancock 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.