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 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Port Royal, South Carolina, in Beaufort County, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Port Royal depends on where the incident happened. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the city's records page, the sheriff's reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Port Royal public records, Beaufort County police reports, Port Royal arrest records, Port Royal warrants, Port Royal inmate search, Port Royal criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Port Royal
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.
Inside Port Royal that is the agency that reports to the FBI for the city (filed by the FBI as Port Royal Police Department); outside it, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's list also places the Highway Patrol in Beaufort County in Beaufort 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 and one campus police department in Beaufort County, each with a records office of its own.
The Hardeeville Police Department and the Yemassee Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Beaufort County, so their arrests are not broken out for Beaufort County here.
Reports from the Port Royal Police
For Port Royal, SearchSystems opened and checked the Port Royal police records page at portroyal.org/285/Submit-a-Police-Report (page title: Submit a Police Report | Port Royal, SC), phone 866-925-1961, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 26, 2026.
The agency that reports for Port Royal had 24 violent and 227 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 294 arrests for 2025.
Reports from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 275 violent and 1,148 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,935 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at beaufortcountysc.gov/detention-center/inmate-inquiry-system.html (page title: Inmate Inquiry System), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
What the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act Requires
Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer a request within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old, and it may charge search, retrieval and copying at the agency's actual cost. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Port Royal?
From the agency that took it. The Port Royal police records page is at portroyal.org/285/Submit-a-Police-Report, phone 866-925-1961; the sheriff's reports come from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
How long does an agency in Port Royal have to answer?
Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old. It may charge search, retrieval and copying at the agency's actual cost.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Port Royal?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol in Beaufort County in Beaufort County.
How do I get a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old.
Is this the official Port Royal website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.