Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest 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 27, 2026.
Ottawa County, Ohio, has about 40,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Ottawa County depends on where the incident happened: the Ottawa 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, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Ottawa County public records, Ottawa County arrest records, Ottawa County warrants, Ottawa County inmate search, Ottawa County criminal records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Ottawa 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 Ottawa County that is the Ottawa 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 Ottawa County Sheriff's Office
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office is the county agency.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at ottawacountysheriff.info (page title: Ottawa County Sheriff's Office | Sheriff Stephen J. Levorchick), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 27, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Ottawa County
The eight cities the FBI lists in Ottawa County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Port Clinton: 144 arrests reported for 2025. The Port Clinton police records page is at portclintonpd.org/offices/records, phone 419-734-3121 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Oak Harbor: 48 arrests reported for 2025.
- Genoa.
- Elmore.
- Marblehead: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Rocky Ridge: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Clay Center: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Put-in-Bay.
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.
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, 419-734-6845, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Ottawa County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.