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.
Chatham County, North Carolina, has about 84,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Chatham County depends on where the incident happened: the Chatham 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: Chatham County public records, Chatham County arrest records, Chatham County warrants, Chatham County inmate search, Chatham County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Chatham 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 Chatham County that is the Chatham 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 Apex Police Department and the Cary Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Chatham County, so their arrests are not broken out for Chatham County here.
Reports from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 86 violent and 394 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 798 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at chathamsheriff.com/inmatesearch (page title: Inmate Search | Chatham County Sheriff’s Office NC), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Chatham County
The two cities the FBI lists in Chatham County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Siler City: 33 violent and 178 property crimes reported for 2025; 340 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pittsboro: 10 violent and 93 property crimes reported for 2025; 119 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: Chatham County in 2025
The three agencies in Chatham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 129 violent and 665 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Chatham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,257 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at chathamcountync.gov/government/public-records-requests-open-governm... (page title: Public Records Requests | Chatham County, NC).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Chatham County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Chatham 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 Chatham 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 Chatham County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. 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 Chatham 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.