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 30, 2026.
Codington County, South Dakota, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Codington County depends on where the incident happened: the Codington 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 Dakota Open Records 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: Codington County public records, Codington County arrest records, Codington County warrants, Codington County inmate search, Codington County criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Codington 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 Codington County that is the Codington 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.
Reports from the Codington County Sheriff's Office
The Codington County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 8 violent and 21 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 211 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at codington.sdcounty.gov/sheriff (page title: Codington County Sheriff's Office | The Codington County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service office providing C), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Codington County
The one city the FBI lists in Codington County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Watertown: 43 violent and 174 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,279 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: Codington County in 2025
The two agencies in Codington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 51 violent and 195 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Codington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,490 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the South Dakota Open Records Law Requires
Under the South Dakota Open Records Law the agency must answer a request within 10 business days, and it may charge copying and staff time. 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 State's Attorney, (605)882-6276, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Codington County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Codington County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the South Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
How long does an agency in Codington County have to answer?
Under the South Dakota Open Records Law, within 10 business days. It may charge copying and staff time.
How do I get a report from the Codington County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the South Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Codington 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.