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 October 2, 2026.
Essex County, New York, has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Essex County depends on where the incident happened: the Essex 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: Essex County public records, Essex County arrest records, Essex County warrants, Essex County inmate search, Essex County criminal records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Essex 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 Essex County that is the Essex 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 Saranac Lake Village Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Essex County, so its arrests are not broken out for Essex County here.
Reports from the Essex County Sheriff's Office
The Essex County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 9 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 258 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 518-873-6915. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at sheriff.essexcountyny.gov/patrol (page title: Patrol | Essex County Sheriff's Office), phone 518-873-6915, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Essex County
The one city the FBI lists in Essex County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Lake Placid: 2 violent and 25 property crimes reported for 2025; 126 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: Essex County in 2025
The four agencies in Essex County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12 violent and 74 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Essex County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 724 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Essex County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 518-873-6915. 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 Essex 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.