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 9, 2026.
Richland County, Ohio, has about 125,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Richland County depends on where the incident happened: the Richland 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: Richland County public records, Richland County arrest records, Richland County warrants, Richland County inmate search, Richland County property records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Richland 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 Richland County that is the Richland 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 Ohio State University at Mansfield (campus police), with a records office of its own.
The Crestline Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Richland County, so its arrests are not broken out for Richland County here.
Reports from the Richland County Sheriff's Office
The Richland County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 163 violent and 308 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,193 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 419-524-2412. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/sheriff (page title: Richland County Ohio | Sheriff), phone 419-524-2412, 911 Location 597 Park Ave. East Mansfield, OH 44905-2848, Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Richland County
The seven cities the FBI lists in Richland County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Mansfield: 263 violent and 1,010 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,278 arrests reported for 2025.
- Shelby: 22 violent and 103 property crimes reported for 2025; 457 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ontario: 10 violent and 161 property crimes reported for 2025; 255 arrests reported for 2024.
- Lexington: 101 arrests reported for 2023.
- Bellville: 6 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025; 63 arrests reported for 2025.
- Plymouth.
- Butler.
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: Richland County in 2025
The five agencies in Richland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 464 violent and 1,588 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Richland County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 4,637 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Ohio Public Records Act Requires
The Ohio Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer promptly, within a reasonable period of time, at a charge of the actual cost of copying, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 419-774-5676, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Richland County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 419-524-2412. Under the Ohio Public Records Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable period of time.
Is this the official Richland 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.