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.
Ward County, North Dakota, has about 68,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Ward County depends on where the incident happened: the Ward 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: Ward County public records, Ward County arrest records, Ward County warrants, Ward County inmate search, Ward County property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Ward 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 Ward County that is the Ward 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 Ward County Sheriff's Office
The Ward County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 29 violent and 43 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 528 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 701-857-6530. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at co.ward.nd.us/395/Ward-County-Inmate-Locator (page title: Ward County Inmate Locator | Ward County, ND), phone 701-857-6530, 204 Front St. P.O. Box 907 Minot, ND 58702, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Ward County
The five cities the FBI lists in Ward County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Minot: 139 violent and 563 property crimes reported for 2025; 930 arrests reported for 2025.
- Surrey: 6 arrests reported for 2024.
- Burlington: 0 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 8 arrests reported for 2025.
- Kenmare: 1 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025; 10 arrests reported for 2025.
- Berthold: 28 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Ward County in 2025
The four agencies in Ward County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 169 violent and 615 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Ward County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,476 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, 701-852-0111, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Ward County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 701-857-6530. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Ward 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.