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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Erie County, New York, has about 951,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Erie County depends on where the incident happened: the Erie 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: Erie County public records, Erie County arrest records, Erie County warrants, Erie County inmate search, Erie County criminal records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Erie 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 Erie County that is the Erie 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 Buffalo State College State University of New York Police and the Buffalo State University of New York Police (campus police) and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Gowanda Village Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Erie County, so its arrests are not broken out for Erie County here.
Reports from the Erie County Sheriff's Office
The Erie County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 39 violent and 624 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 900 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 716-858-7755. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at www4.erie.gov/sheriff (page title: Erie County Sheriff's Office), phone 716-858-7755, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Erie County
The 11 cities the FBI lists in Erie County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Buffalo: 2,015 violent and 9,533 property crimes reported for 2025; 6,255 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lackawanna: 52 violent and 369 property crimes reported for 2025; 835 arrests reported for 2025.
- Tonawanda (town): 79 violent and 1,035 property crimes reported for 2025; 892 arrests reported for 2025. The Tonawanda police records page is at tonawanda.gov/public-safety/records-communications.html, phone (716) 879-6650 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Tonawanda: 15 violent and 183 property crimes reported for 2025; 266 arrests reported for 2024. The Tonawanda police records page is at tonawanda.gov/public-safety/records-communications.html, phone (716) 879-6650 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Kenmore: 21 violent and 188 property crimes reported for 2025; 218 arrests reported for 2025. The Kenmore police department's page is at kenmoreny.gov/departments/police, phone (716) 875-1234 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Lancaster: 18 violent and 428 property crimes reported for 2025; 271 arrests reported for 2025. The Lancaster police records page is at lancasterny.gov/departments/police/65-accident-reports.html, phone 716-683-2800 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Hamburg (village): 3 violent and 35 property crimes reported for 2025; 99 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hamburg (town): 28 violent and 773 property crimes reported for 2025; 918 arrests reported for 2025.
- East Aurora: 5 violent and 117 property crimes reported for 2025; 114 arrests reported for 2025. The East Aurora police department's page is at eastaurora.gov/government/police-department (verified September 26, 2026).
- Orchard Park: 11 violent and 443 property crimes reported for 2025; 660 arrests reported for 2025.
- Blasdell: 2 violent and 48 property crimes reported for 2025; 21 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: Erie County in 2025
The 21 agencies in Erie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,716 violent and 20,223 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 19 agencies in Erie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 17,041 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at www4.erie.gov/clerk/general-rules-requesting-information (page title: General Rules for Requesting Information | Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Erie County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 716-858-7755. 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 Erie 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.