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.
Johnston County, North Carolina, has about 250,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Johnston County depends on where the incident happened: the Johnston 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: Johnston County public records, Johnston County arrest records, Johnston County warrants, Johnston County criminal records, Johnston County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Johnston 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 Johnston County that is the Johnston 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.
Reports from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office
The Johnston County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 182 violent and 1,291 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,565 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Johnston County
The nine cities the FBI lists in Johnston County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Clayton: 39 violent and 356 property crimes reported for 2025; 464 arrests reported for 2025. The Clayton police records page is at townofclaytonnc.org/229/Police-Reports (verified September 25, 2026).
- Smithfield: 38 violent and 513 property crimes reported for 2025; 939 arrests reported for 2025. The Smithfield police records page is at smithfield-nc.com/page/police_records_faqs, phone 919-934-2121 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Selma: 42 violent and 199 property crimes reported for 2025; 314 arrests reported for 2025.
- Benson: 14 violent and 163 property crimes reported for 2025; 157 arrests reported for 2025.
- Wilson's Mills: 12 violent and 40 property crimes reported for 2025; 78 arrests reported for 2025.
- Four Oaks: 11 violent and 51 property crimes reported for 2025; 76 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pine Level: 2 violent and 25 property crimes reported for 2025; 15 arrests reported for 2025.
- Kenly: 1,153 arrests reported for 2025.
- Princeton: 24 arrests reported for 2020.
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: Johnston County in 2025
The eight agencies in Johnston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 340 violent and 2,638 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the nine agencies in Johnston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,761 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.
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 Johnston County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston 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.