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 September 28, 2026.
Chester County, Pennsylvania, has about 561,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Chester County depends on where the incident happened: the Chester 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 Right-to-Know 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: Chester County public records, Chester County arrest records, Chester County warrants, Chester County inmate search, Chester County property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Chester 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 Chester County that is the Chester 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 Chester County State Police in Chester County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies, three campus police departments and one other agency in Chester County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Chester County Sheriff's Office
The Chester County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 226 arrests for 2020.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 610-344-6850. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at chesco.org/167/Sheriff (page title: Chester County Sheriff | Chester County, PA), phone 610-344-6850, 201 W Market Street, Suite 1201 West Chester, PA 19382, Fridays, 8:30am to 3:30pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Chester County
The ten cities the FBI lists in Chester County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- West Chester: 44 violent and 231 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,120 arrests reported for 2025.
- Phoenixville: 12 violent and 113 property crimes reported for 2025; 399 arrests reported for 2025.
- Coatesville: 96 violent and 198 property crimes reported for 2025; 508 arrests reported for 2025.
- Downingtown: 6 violent and 150 property crimes reported for 2025; 161 arrests reported for 2025.
- Kennett Square: 6 violent and 44 property crimes reported for 2025; 164 arrests reported for 2025. The Kennett Square police department's page is at kennett.pa.us/173/Police, phone 610-388-2874 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Oxford: 17 violent and 25 property crimes reported for 2025; 39 arrests reported for 2025.
- Parkesburg: 8 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 111 arrests reported for 2024.
- Spring City: 3 violent and 49 property crimes reported for 2025; 28 arrests reported for 2025.
- Malvern: 0 violent and 10 property crimes reported for 2025; 11 arrests reported for 2025.
- Honey Brook: 0 violent and 15 property crimes reported for 2025; 33 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: Chester County in 2025
The 39 agencies in Chester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 372 violent and 2,601 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 34 agencies in Chester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,241 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Right-to-Know Law Requires
Under the Right-to-Know Law the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension, and it may charge copying at 25 cents a page. 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 chesco.justfoia.com/publicportal (page title: Chester County, PA Public Portal | JustFOIA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 610-344-6866, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Chester County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Chester County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Right-to-Know Law the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension.
How long does an agency in Chester County have to answer?
Under the Right-to-Know Law, within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension. It may charge copying at 25 cents a page.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Chester County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Chester County State Police in Chester County.
How do I get a report from the Chester County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 610-344-6850. Under the Right-to-Know Law the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension.
Is this the official Chester 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.