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 4, 2026.
Lake County, Montana, has about 33,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Lake County depends on where the incident happened: the Lake 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lake 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 Lake County that is the Lake 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 Lake County Sheriff's Office
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 75 violent and 140 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 323 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at roster.assurances.gov.gh/lake-county-montana-jail-roster.html (page title: Lake County Montana Jail Roster), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lake County
The three cities the FBI lists in Lake County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Polson: 60 violent and 143 property crimes reported for 2025; 299 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ronan: 99 arrests reported for 2025.
- St. Ignatius: 7 violent and 35 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 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: Lake County in 2025
The three agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 142 violent and 318 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 721 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, 406-883-7279, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Lake County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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.