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 4, 2026.
McLean County, North Dakota, has about 9,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from McLean County depends on where the incident happened: the McLean 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, cities, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: McLean County public records, McLean County arrest records, McLean County warrants, McLean County inmate search, McLean County criminal records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from McLean 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 McLean County that is the McLean 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 McLean County Sheriff's Office
The McLean County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 9 violent and 75 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 252 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 462-8103. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at mcleancountynd.gov/departments/sheriffs-office (page title: McLean County, North Dakota | Departments), phone (701) 462-8103, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Cities in McLean County
The FBI lists no city in McLean County with a reporting agency of its own.
The cities and towns in the county are Garrison, Washburn, Underwood, Wilton, Turtle Lake, Max, Riverdale, Mercer, Butte, Benedict, Coleharbor and Ruso.
How Many Reports: McLean County in 2025
The one agency in McLean County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9 violent and 75 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
The McLean County Sheriff's Office reported 252 arrests to the FBI for 2025, 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) 462-8832, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in McLean County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the McLean 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 McLean 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 McLean County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 462-8103. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official McLean 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.