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.
York County, Pennsylvania, has about 471,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from York County depends on where the incident happened: the York 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: York County public records, York County arrest records, York County warrants, York County inmate search, York County property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from York 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 York County that is the York 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 York County State Police in York 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, two campus police departments and one other agency in York County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the York County Sheriff's Office
The York County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 2 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 121 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at inmatesinjail.yorkcountygov.com/detentioncenter/inmatesinjail.aspx (page title: York County Detention Center Inmates), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in York County
The three cities the FBI lists in York County with a reporting agency of their own:
- York: 201 violent and 652 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,805 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hanover: 17 violent and 350 property crimes reported for 2025; 891 arrests reported for 2025.
- West York: 20 violent and 64 property crimes reported for 2025; 81 arrests reported for 2024.
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: York County in 2025
The 15 agencies in York County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 569 violent and 2,725 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 11 agencies in York County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,697 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Right-to-Know Law Requires
The Right-to-Know Law sets the rules: an answer within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension, at a charge of copying at 25 cents a page, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at yorkcountypa.gov/915/Right-to-Know-Law-Requests (page title: Right-to-Know Law Requests | York County, PA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 717-771-9600, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in York County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the York 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 York 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 York County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the York County State Police in York County.
How do I get a report from the York County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Right-to-Know Law the answer is due within 5 business days, with a 30-day extension.
Is this the official York 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.