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.
Durham County, North Carolina, has about 344,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Durham County depends on where the incident happened: the Durham 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: Durham County public records, Durham County arrest records, Durham County warrants, Durham County inmate search, Durham County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Durham 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 Durham County that is the Durham 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 agency list also places one state agency, two campus police departments and one other agency in Durham County, each with a records office of its own.
The Morrisville Police Department, the Raleigh Police Department, the Chapel Hill Police Department and one more are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Durham County, so their arrests are not broken out for Durham County here.
Reports from the Durham County Sheriff's Office
The Durham County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 67 violent and 497 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 84 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at durhamsheriff.com/community/public-information/inmate-population-se... (page title: Inmate Population Search | Durham County Sheriff), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Durham County
The one city the FBI lists in Durham County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Durham: 1,557 violent and 11,053 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,604 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: Durham County in 2025
The two agencies in Durham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,624 violent and 11,550 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Durham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,688 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 dconc.gov/Public-Information/Online-Public-Records-Request (page title: Durham County | Online Public Records Request).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Durham County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham 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.