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 28, 2026.
Charleston County, South Carolina, has about 431,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Charleston County depends on where the incident happened: the Charleston 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 South Carolina Freedom of Information 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: Charleston County public records, Charleston County arrest records, Charleston County warrants, Charleston County inmate search, Charleston County property records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Charleston 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 Charleston County that is the Charleston 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 Highway Patrol in Charleston County in Charleston 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 four campus police departments, six state agencies and one other agency in Charleston County, each with a records office of its own.
The Summerville Police Department is listed by the FBI across three counties including Charleston County, so its arrests are not broken out for Charleston County here.
Reports from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 214 violent and 775 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,250 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (843) 202-7200. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at charlestoncounty.gov/departments/sheriff/law-enforcement.php (page title: Charleston County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center | Chain of Command), phone (843) 202-7200, 3841 Leeds Ave., N. Charleston, SC 29405, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9-11:30AM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Charleston County
The six cities the FBI lists in Charleston County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Charleston: 445 violent and 2,569 property crimes reported for 2025; 6,091 arrests reported for 2025.
- North Charleston: 860 violent and 4,448 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,193 arrests reported for 2025. The North Charleston police department's page is at northcharleston.org/government/city_departments/police/index.php, phone 843-743-7200 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Mount Pleasant: 128 violent and 994 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,248 arrests reported for 2025.
- Isle of Palms: 10 violent and 41 property crimes reported for 2025; 306 arrests reported for 2025.
- Folly Beach: 4 violent and 27 property crimes reported for 2025; 267 arrests reported for 2025.
- Sullivan's Island: 0 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 50 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: Charleston County in 2025
The seven agencies in Charleston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,661 violent and 8,868 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Charleston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,405 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Solicitor, (843)719-4529, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Charleston County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Charleston County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. 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.
How long does an agency in Charleston County 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 Charleston County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol in Charleston County in Charleston County.
How do I get a report from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (843) 202-7200. 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 Charleston 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.