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 23, 2026.
Cortland County, New York, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Cortland County depends on where the incident happened: the Cortland 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 Freedom of Information 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: Cortland County public records, Cortland County arrest records, Cortland County warrants, Cortland County inmate search, Cortland County criminal records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Cortland 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 Cortland County that is the Cortland 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 Cortland State University of New York Police (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Cortland County Sheriff's Office
The Cortland County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 14 violent and 169 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 409 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at cortlandcountysheriffny.gov (page title: Cortland County Sheriff (NY)), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Cortland County
The one city the FBI lists in Cortland County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Cortland: 41 violent and 487 property crimes reported for 2025; 687 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: Cortland County in 2025
The three agencies in Cortland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 58 violent and 664 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Cortland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,121 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Freedom of Information Law Requires
Under the Freedom of Information Law the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, at least with an acknowledgment and a date for the full answer, and it may charge copying at 25 cents a page. 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 District Attorney, 607-753-5008, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Cortland County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Cortland County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Freedom of Information Law the answer is due within 5 business days, at least with an acknowledgment and a date for the full answer.
How long does an agency in Cortland County have to answer?
Under the Freedom of Information Law, within 5 business days, at least with an acknowledgment and a date for the full answer. It may charge copying at 25 cents a page.
How do I get a report from the Cortland County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Freedom of Information Law the answer is due within 5 business days, at least with an acknowledgment and a date for the full answer.
Is this the official Cortland 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.