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.
Defiance County, Ohio, has about 39,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Defiance County depends on where the incident happened: the Defiance 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 Ohio Public Records Act 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: Defiance County public records, Defiance County arrest records, Defiance County warrants, Defiance County inmate search, Defiance County criminal records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Defiance 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 Defiance County that is the Defiance 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 Defiance County Sheriff's Office
The Defiance County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 17 violent and 73 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 320 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at defiance-county.com/dcso (page title: Defiance County Sheriff's Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Defiance County
The two cities the FBI lists in Defiance County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Defiance: 37 violent and 180 property crimes reported for 2025; 668 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hicksville: 9 violent and 26 property crimes reported for 2025; 69 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: Defiance County in 2025
The three agencies in Defiance County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 63 violent and 279 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Defiance County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,057 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Ohio Public Records Act Requires
Under the Ohio Public Records Act the agency must answer a request promptly, within a reasonable period of time, and it may charge the actual cost of copying. 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 Prosecuting Attorney, (419) 782-2402, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Defiance County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Defiance County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Ohio Public Records Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable period of time.
How long does an agency in Defiance County have to answer?
Under the Ohio Public Records Act, promptly, within a reasonable period of time. It may charge the actual cost of copying.
How do I get a report from the Defiance County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Ohio Public Records Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable period of time.
Is this the official Defiance 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.