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 on September 24, 2026.
Richland 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 Richland County depends on where the incident happened: the Richland 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: Richland County public records, Richland County arrest records, Richland County warrants, Richland County criminal records, Richland County court records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Richland 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 Richland County that is the Richland 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 Richland County in Richland 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 seven state agencies, three campus police departments and one other agency in Richland County, each with a records office of its own.
The Cayce Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Richland County, so its arrests are not broken out for Richland County here.
Reports from the Richland County Sheriff's Office
The Richland County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1,227 violent and 4,837 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,479 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Richland County
The three cities the FBI lists in Richland County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Columbia: 1,163 violent and 4,640 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,628 arrests reported for 2025. The Columbia police records page is at columbiapd.net/submit-a-police-report, phone (803) 252-2911 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Irmo: 30 violent and 182 property crimes reported for 2025; 502 arrests reported for 2025.
- Forest Acres: 39 violent and 350 property crimes reported for 2025; 191 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: Richland County in 2025
The four agencies in Richland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,459 violent and 10,009 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Richland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,800 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Richland County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol in Richland County in Richland County.
How do I get a report from the Richland 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 Richland 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.