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 24, 2026.
Barnes County, North Dakota, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Barnes County depends on where the incident happened: the Barnes 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 Dakota Open Records Law 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: Barnes County public records, Barnes County arrest records, Barnes County warrants, Barnes County inmate search, Barnes County property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Barnes 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 Barnes County that is the Barnes 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 Barnes County Sheriff's Office
The Barnes County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 8 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 58 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 701-845-8530. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at barnescounty.us/index.php/sheriffs-office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Official Website of Barnes County, North Dakota), phone 701-845-8530, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Barnes County
The one city the FBI lists in Barnes County with a reporting agency of its own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Valley City: 9 violent and 64 property crimes reported for 2024; 92 arrests reported for 2025. The Valley City police department's page is at valleycity.us/vcpd, phone (701) 845-3110 (verified September 26, 2026).
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: Barnes County in 2024
The two agencies in Barnes County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 10 violent and 72 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Barnes County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 150 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Dakota Open Records Law Requires
Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the agency must answer a request within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time after the first hour. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, 701-845-8526, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Barnes County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Barnes County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
How long does an agency in Barnes County have to answer?
Under the North Dakota Open Records Law, within a reasonable time. It may charge copying, and staff time after the first hour.
How do I get a report from the Barnes County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 701-845-8530. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Barnes 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.