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.
Burke County, North Carolina, has about 89,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Burke County depends on where the incident happened: the Burke 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: Burke County public records, Burke County arrest records, Burke County warrants, Burke County inmate search, Burke County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Burke 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 Burke County that is the Burke 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 South Mountains (state agency), with a records office of its own.
The Long View Police Department and the Hickory Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Burke County, so their arrests are not broken out for Burke County here.
Reports from the Burke County Sheriff's Office
The Burke County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 110 violent and 563 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 851 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 828-764-9590. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at burkenc.org/2562/Jail (page title: Jail | Burke County, NC), phone 828-764-9590, 130 Government Dr Morganton, NC 28655, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Burke County
The five cities the FBI lists in Burke County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Morganton: 48 violent and 409 property crimes reported for 2025; 371 arrests reported for 2025.
- Valdese: 9 violent and 93 property crimes reported for 2025; 143 arrests reported for 2025.
- Drexel: 0 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 49 arrests reported for 2025.
- Glen Alpine: 1,153 arrests reported for 2025.
- Rhodhiss: 1,153 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: Burke County in 2025
The four agencies in Burke County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 167 violent and 1,068 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Burke County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,720 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Carolina Public Records Act Requires
Under the North Carolina Public Records Act the agency must answer a request as promptly as possible; the statute sets no number of days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Burke County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Burke 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 Burke 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 Burke County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 828-764-9590. 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 Burke 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.