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 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Foster County, North Dakota, has about 3,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Foster County depends on where the incident happened: the Foster 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: Foster County public records, Foster County arrest records, Foster County warrants, Foster County inmate search, Foster County property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Foster 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 Foster County that is the Foster 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 Foster County Sheriff's Office
The Foster County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 8 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 652-2251. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at fostercounty.com/sheriffs-office (page title: Sheriff's Office), phone (701) 652-2251, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Foster County
The one city the FBI lists in Foster County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Carrington: 0 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 12 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: Foster County in 2025
The two agencies in Foster County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1 violent and 8 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Foster County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 20 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Dakota Open Records Law Requires
The North Dakota Open Records Law sets the rules: an answer within a reasonable time, at a charge of copying, and staff time after the first hour, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at bismarcknd.gov/FormCenter/Administration-2/Request-for-Public-Recor... (page title: Form Center, Request for Public Records).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Foster County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Foster 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 Foster 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 Foster County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 652-2251. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Foster 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.