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.
Lake County, Ohio, has about 232,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Lake County depends on where the incident happened: the Lake 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lake 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 Lake County that is the Lake 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 Lakeland Community College (campus police) and Lake Metroparks (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Lake County Sheriff's Office
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 17 violent and 57 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 3,888 arrests for 2020.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at lakecountyohio.gov/sheriff/sheriffs-jail-roster (page title: Sheriff's Jail Roster | Sheriff), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lake County
The 17 cities the FBI lists in Lake County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Mentor: 56 violent and 482 property crimes reported for 2025; 907 arrests reported for 2025. The Mentor police records page is at cityofmentor.com/departments/police/divisions/support-services/reco..., phone 440-974-5762 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Willoughby: 23 violent and 193 property crimes reported for 2025; 284 arrests reported for 2025.
- Painesville: 46 violent and 93 property crimes reported for 2025; 561 arrests reported for 2025. The Painesville police department's page is at painesville.com/police, phone 440-354-3434 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Eastlake: 21 violent and 306 property crimes reported for 2025; 423 arrests reported for 2025. The Eastlake police records page is at eastlakeohio.com/police/public-records-request, phone 440-951-1400 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Willowick: 5 violent and 40 property crimes reported for 2025; 194 arrests reported for 2025. The Willowick police records page is at cityofwillowick.com/police/page/public-records, phone 440-585-3770 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Wickliffe: 11 violent and 112 property crimes reported for 2025; 323 arrests reported for 2025.
- Willoughby Hills: 309 arrests reported for 2023. The Willoughby Hills police department's page is at willoughbyhills-oh.gov/departments/safety/police_faq.php, phone 440-942-9148 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Mentor-on-the-Lake: 10 violent and 31 property crimes reported for 2025; 83 arrests reported for 2025.
- Kirtland: 1 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 29 arrests reported for 2025. The Kirtland police department's page is at kirtlandohio.com/departments/police-department/kirtland-police-depa..., phone 440-256-3336 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Madison: 5 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 50 arrests reported for 2025.
- Madison (township): 76 arrests reported for 2024.
- Fairport Harbor.
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.
The rest: Perry, North Perry, Kirtland Hills, Timberlake and Waite Hill.
How Many Reports: Lake County in 2025
The ten agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 195 violent and 1,342 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the ten agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,006 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at lakecountyohio.gov/coc/public-records-requests (page title: Public Records Requests | Clerk of Courts).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 440-350-2683, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Lake County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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.