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.
Onslow County, North Carolina, has about 213,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Onslow County depends on where the incident happened: the Onslow 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: Onslow County public records, Onslow County arrest records, Onslow County warrants, Onslow County inmate search, Onslow County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Onslow 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 Onslow County that is the Onslow 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 Albert J. Ellis Airport (other agency) and the State Park Rangers at Hammocks Beach (state agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Surf City Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Onslow County, so its arrests are not broken out for Onslow County here.
Reports from the Onslow County Sheriff's Office
The Onslow County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 338 violent and 1,246 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,841 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (910) 937-1475. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at onslowcountync.gov/1318/Detention-Division (page title: Detention Division | Onslow County, NC), phone (910) 937-1475, 717 Court St Jacksonville, NC 28540, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Onslow County
The five cities the FBI lists in Onslow County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Jacksonville: 160 violent and 1,212 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,725 arrests reported for 2025.
- Holly Ridge: 1 violent and 31 property crimes reported for 2025; 213 arrests reported for 2025.
- Swansboro: 4 violent and 71 property crimes reported for 2025; 167 arrests reported for 2025.
- Richlands: 0 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 131 arrests reported for 2025.
- North Topsail Beach: 0 violent and 26 property crimes reported for 2025; 41 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: Onslow County in 2025
The six agencies in Onslow County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 503 violent and 2,604 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Onslow County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,118 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 onslowcountync.gov/756/Records (page title: Records Request | Onslow County, NC).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Onslow County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Onslow 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 Onslow 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 Onslow County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (910) 937-1475. 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 Onslow 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.