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 October 2, 2026.
Chester County, South Carolina, has about 32,000 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 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: Chester County public records, Chester County arrest records, Chester County warrants, Chester County inmate search, Chester County criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina 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 Highway Patrol in Chester County 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 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 91 violent and 282 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 392 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (803) 581-5131. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at chesterscsheriff.com (page title: Sheriff's Office), phone (803) 581-5131, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Chester County
The three cities the FBI lists in Chester County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Chester: 81 violent and 171 property crimes reported for 2024; 170 arrests reported for 2024.
- Great Falls: 31 arrests reported for 2023.
- Fort Lawn: 6 violent and 30 property crimes reported for 2024; 16 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 2024
The three agencies in Chester County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 178 violent and 483 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Chester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 408 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act Requires
The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old, at a charge of search, retrieval and copying at the agency's actual cost, from the agency that holds the report.
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 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 Chester 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 Chester County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol in Chester County 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 (803) 581-5131. 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 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.