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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Columbus County, North Carolina, has about 50,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Columbus County depends on where the incident happened: the Columbus 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: Columbus County public records, Columbus County arrest records, Columbus County warrants, Columbus County inmate search, Columbus County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Columbus 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 Columbus County that is the Columbus 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 Lake Waccamaw (state agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Columbus County Sheriff's Office
The Columbus 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 (910) 642-6551. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at columbussheriff.com (page title: Columbus County Sheriff's Office | Dedicated To Serve), phone (910) 642-6551, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Columbus County
The five cities the FBI lists in Columbus County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Whiteville: 42 violent and 377 property crimes reported for 2025; 352 arrests reported for 2025.
- Tabor City: 16 violent and 64 property crimes reported for 2025; 91 arrests reported for 2025.
- Chadbourn: 13 violent and 90 property crimes reported for 2025; 179 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lake Waccamaw: 1,153 arrests reported for 2025.
- Fair Bluff: 2 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2025; 12 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: Columbus County in 2025
The four agencies in Columbus County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 73 violent and 539 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Columbus County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,940 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 Columbus County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (910) 642-6551. 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 Columbus 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.