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 on September 23, 2026.
Beaufort County, North Carolina, has about 45,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Beaufort County depends on where the incident happened: the Beaufort 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 North Carolina 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: Beaufort County public records, Beaufort County arrest records, Beaufort County warrants, Beaufort County inmate search, Beaufort County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Beaufort County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Beaufort County that is the Beaufort 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.
The FBI's list also carries the State Park Rangers at Goose Creek (state agency), Beaufort County Community College (campus police) and Beaufort County Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it reported 1,153 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (252) 946-7113. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at beaufortcountysheriff.org/detention-center-services (page title: Use Detention Services | Beaufort County Sheriff's Office), phone (252) 946-7113, 210 N Market St Washington NC 27889, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Beaufort County
The three cities the FBI lists in Beaufort County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Washington: 36 violent and 284 property crimes reported for 2025; 615 arrests reported for 2025. The Washington police department's page is at washingtonnc.gov/departments/public_safety/police/contacts.php, phone (252) 946-1444 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Belhaven: 0 violent and 12 property crimes reported for 2025; 12 arrests reported for 2025.
- Chocowinity: 4 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Beaufort County in 2025
The two agencies in Beaufort County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 36 violent and 296 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Beaufort County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,780 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Carolina Public Records Act Requires
The North Carolina Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer as promptly as possible; the statute sets no number of days, at a charge of the actual cost of copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Beaufort County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the North Carolina Public Records Act the answer is due as promptly as possible; the statute sets no number of days.
How long does an agency in Beaufort County have to answer?
Under the North Carolina Public Records Act, as promptly as possible; the statute sets no number of days. It may charge the actual cost of copying.
How do I get a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (252) 946-7113. Under the North Carolina Public Records Act the answer is due as promptly as possible; the statute sets no number of days.
Is this the official Beaufort 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.