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 24, 2026.
Columbia County, Oregon, has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Columbia County depends on where the incident happened: the Columbia 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 Oregon Public Records 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: Columbia County public records, Columbia County arrest records, Columbia County warrants, Columbia County inmate search, Columbia County criminal records, Oregon arrest records and Oregon inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Columbia 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 Columbia County that is the Columbia 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 places the Columbia County State Police in Columbia County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's list also carries the Columbia County Liquor Commission (state agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 51 violent and 85 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 310 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at sheriff.columbiacountyor.gov/CurrentInmateListing (page title: Columbia County Oregon Sheriff | Current Inmate Listing), 901 Port Ave., St. Helens, OR 97051, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Columbia County
The five cities the FBI lists in Columbia County with a reporting agency of their own:
- St. Helens: 40 violent and 138 property crimes reported for 2024; 562 arrests reported for 2025.
- Scappoose: 80 arrests reported for 2023.
- Vernonia: 20 arrests reported for 2021.
- Columbia City: 0 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2024; 7 arrests reported for 2024.
- Rainier: 2 violent and 42 property crimes reported for 2024; 44 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: Columbia County in 2024
The four agencies in Columbia County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 93 violent and 270 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Columbia County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 912 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Oregon Public Records Law Requires
Under the Oregon Public Records Law the agency must answer a request within 15 business days where practicable, after acknowledging the request within 5, and it may charge the actual cost of making the record available. 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 sheriff.columbiacountyor.gov/PublicRecordsRequests (page title: Columbia County Oregon Sheriff | Public Records Requests).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 503-397-2760, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Columbia County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Columbia County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Oregon Public Records Law the answer is due within 15 business days where practicable, after acknowledging the request within 5.
How long does an agency in Columbia County have to answer?
Under the Oregon Public Records Law, within 15 business days where practicable, after acknowledging the request within 5. It may charge the actual cost of making the record available.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Columbia County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Columbia County State Police in Columbia County.
How do I get a report from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Oregon Public Records Law the answer is due within 15 business days where practicable, after acknowledging the request within 5.
Is this the official Columbia 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.