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 September 30, 2026.
Buffalo County, Nebraska, has about 51,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Buffalo County depends on where the incident happened: the Buffalo 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 Nebraska Public Records Statutes 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: Buffalo County public records, Buffalo County arrest records, Buffalo County warrants, Buffalo County inmate search, Buffalo County criminal records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Buffalo 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 Buffalo County that is the Buffalo 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 places the State Patrol in Buffalo County in Buffalo County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's list also carries the University of Nebraska at Kearney (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office
The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 7 violent and 43 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 553 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 308.236.8555. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at buffalocounty.ne.gov/county-offices/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Buffalo County, NE), phone 308.236.8555, Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Buffalo County
The three cities the FBI lists in Buffalo County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Kearney: 80 violent and 427 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,435 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ravenna: 0 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 12 arrests reported for 2025.
- Shelton.
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: Buffalo County in 2025
The three agencies in Buffalo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 87 violent and 475 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Buffalo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,000 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Nebraska Public Records Statutes Requires
The Nebraska Public Records Statutes sets the rules: an answer within 4 business days, at a charge of copying, and staff time after the first four hours, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at buffalocounty.ne.gov/county-offices/clerk/public-records-request (page title: Public Records Request | County Clerk | Buffalo County, NE).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 308.236.1222, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Buffalo County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Nebraska Public Records Statutes the answer is due within 4 business days.
How long does an agency in Buffalo County have to answer?
Under the Nebraska Public Records Statutes, within 4 business days. It may charge copying, and staff time after the first four hours.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Buffalo County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the State Patrol in Buffalo County in Buffalo County.
How do I get a report from the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 308.236.8555. Under the Nebraska Public Records Statutes the answer is due within 4 business days.
Is this the official Buffalo 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.