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.
Steele County, North Dakota, has about 1,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Steele County depends on where the incident happened: the Steele 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: Steele County public records, Steele County arrest records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Steele 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 Steele County that is the Steele 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 Steele County Sheriff's Office
The Steele County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 0 violent and 2 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 9 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Cities in Steele County
The FBI lists no city in Steele County with a reporting agency of its own.
The cities and towns in the county are Finley, Hope, Sharon and Luverne.
How Many Reports: Steele County in 2025
The one agency in Steele County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 0 violent and 2 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
The Steele County Sheriff's Office reported 9 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Steele County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Steele 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.