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 September 30, 2026.
Flathead County, Montana, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Flathead County depends on where the incident happened: the Flathead 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, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Flathead County public records, Flathead County arrest records, Flathead County warrants, Flathead County inmate search, Flathead County criminal records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Flathead 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 Flathead County that is the Flathead 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 Flathead County Sheriff's Office
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 195 violent and 539 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 322 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at apps.flathead.mt.gov/jailroster/?report=bookings&sort=bookdate&days=2 (page title: Jail Roster | Flathead County Sheriff's Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Flathead County
The three cities the FBI lists in Flathead County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Kalispell: 135 violent and 576 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,002 arrests reported for 2025. The Kalispell police department's page is at kalispell.com/260/Police, phone 406-758-7786 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Whitefish: 17 violent and 122 property crimes reported for 2025; 179 arrests reported for 2025.
- Columbia Falls: 8 violent and 61 property crimes reported for 2025; 284 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: Flathead County in 2025
The four agencies in Flathead County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 355 violent and 1,298 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Flathead County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,787 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Montana Public Records Act Requires
The Montana Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer in a timely manner; the statute sets no number of days, at a charge of the actual cost of fulfilling the request, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (406) 758-5630, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Flathead County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Flathead 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.