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.
Carter County, Montana, has about 1,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Carter County depends on where the incident happened: the Carter 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 Montana Public Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, cities, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Carter County public records, Carter County arrest records, Carter County warrants, Carter County criminal records, Carter County court records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Carter 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 Carter County that is the Carter 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 Carter County Sheriff's Office
The Carter County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 0 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Cities in Carter County
The FBI lists no city in Carter County with a reporting agency of its own.
The one city in the county is Ekalaka.
How Many Reports: Carter County in 2025
The one agency in Carter County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 0 violent and 0 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
The Carter County Sheriff's Office reported 0 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Montana Public Records Act Requires
Under the Montana Public Records Act the agency must answer a request in a timely manner; the statute sets no number of days, and it may charge the actual cost of fulfilling the request. 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 sosmt.gov/public-records-request (page title: Public Records Request | Official Montana Secretary of State Website | Christi Jacobsen).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Carter County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Carter County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Montana Public Records Act the answer is due in a timely manner; the statute sets no number of days.
How long does an agency in Carter County have to answer?
Under the Montana Public Records Act, in a timely manner; the statute sets no number of days. It may charge the actual cost of fulfilling the request.
How do I get a report from the Carter County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Montana Public Records Act the answer is due in a timely manner; the statute sets no number of days.
Is this the official Carter 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.