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 October 1, 2026.
Richmond County, North Carolina, has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Richmond County depends on where the incident happened: the Richmond 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: Richmond County public records, Richmond County arrest records, Richmond County warrants, Richmond County inmate search, Richmond County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Richmond 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 Richmond County that is the Richmond 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 Richmond County Sheriff's Office
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 137 violent and 935 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 880 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at richmondcountysheriff.net/divisions/inmate_information.php (page title: Richmond County Sheriff, NC), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Richmond County
The two cities the FBI lists in Richmond County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Rockingham: 54 violent and 337 property crimes reported for 2024; 755 arrests reported for 2024.
- Hamlet: 27 violent and 235 property crimes reported for 2024; 299 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Richmond County in 2024
The three agencies in Richmond County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 218 violent and 1,507 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Richmond County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,919 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 Richmond County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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.