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.
Lewis and Clark County, Montana, has about 75,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Lewis and Clark County depends on where the incident happened: the Lewis and Clark 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: Lewis and Clark County public records, Lewis and Clark County arrest records, Lewis and Clark County warrants, Lewis and Clark County inmate search, Lewis and Clark County criminal records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County that is the Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 81 violent and 237 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 298 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at lccountymt.gov/Sheriff/Detention-Center (page title: Detention Center | Lewis & Clark County), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lewis and Clark County
The two cities the FBI lists in Lewis and Clark County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Helena: 206 violent and 1,029 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,142 arrests reported for 2025. The Helena police records page is at helenamt.gov/Departments/Police-Department/Support-Services-Records, phone 406-447-8469 (verified September 26, 2026).
- East Helena: 8 violent and 28 property crimes reported for 2025; 21 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: Lewis and Clark County in 2025
The three agencies in Lewis and Clark County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 295 violent and 1,294 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Lewis and Clark County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,461 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Lewis and Clark County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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.