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 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Grand Forks County, North Dakota, has about 74,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Grand Forks County depends on where the incident happened: the Grand Forks 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: Grand Forks County public records, Grand Forks County arrest records, Grand Forks County warrants, Grand Forks County inmate search, Grand Forks County property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks County that is the Grand Forks 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 the University of North Dakota (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office
The Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 13 violent and 44 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 419 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 701-780-8224. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at gfcounty.nd.gov/government/gfso (page title: Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office | Grand Forks County, ND), phone 701-780-8224, 1701 North Washington Street Grand Forks, ND 58203, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Reports from the City Agencies in Grand Forks County
The two cities the FBI lists in Grand Forks County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Grand Forks: 162 violent and 1,205 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,250 arrests reported for 2025.
- Emerado: 0 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 3 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: Grand Forks County in 2025
The three agencies in Grand Forks County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 175 violent and 1,254 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Grand Forks County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,672 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, 701-780-8281, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Grand Forks County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 701-780-8224. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Grand Forks 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.