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 9, 2026.
Phillips County, Montana, has about 4,200 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Phillips County depends on where the incident happened: the Phillips 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: Phillips County public records, Phillips County arrest records, Phillips County warrants, Phillips County criminal records, Phillips County court records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Phillips 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 Phillips County that is the Phillips 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 Phillips County Sheriff's Office
The Phillips County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 13 violent and 23 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 91 arrests for 2023.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at phillipscosheriff.com/inmates (page title: Inmate Roster | Phillips County Sheriff's Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Cities in Phillips County
The FBI lists no city in Phillips County with a reporting agency of its own.
The cities and towns in the county are Malta, Saco and Dodson.
How Many Reports: Phillips County in 2025
The one agency in Phillips County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 13 violent and 23 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
The Phillips County Sheriff's Office reported 91 arrests to the FBI for 2023, 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 Phillips County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Phillips 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 Phillips 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 Phillips 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 Phillips 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.