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 9, 2026.
Lawrence 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 Lawrence County depends on where the incident happened: the Lawrence 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: Lawrence County public records, Lawrence County arrest records, Lawrence County warrants, Lawrence County inmate search, Lawrence County property records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lawrence 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 Lawrence County that is the Lawrence 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 Lawrence County Sheriff's Office
The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 10 violent and 28 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 104 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 605-578-2230. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at lawrence.sd.us/198/Sheriffs-Office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Lawrence County, SD), phone 605-578-2230, 50 Tatanka Dr Deadwood, SD 57732, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lawrence County
The four cities the FBI lists in Lawrence County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Spearfish: 33 violent and 277 property crimes reported for 2025; 285 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lead: 2 violent and 19 property crimes reported for 2025; 86 arrests reported for 2025.
- Deadwood: 6 violent and 29 property crimes reported for 2025; 246 arrests reported for 2025.
- Whitewood: 2 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2025; 19 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: Lawrence County in 2025
The five agencies in Lawrence County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 53 violent and 357 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Lawrence County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 740 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the South Dakota Open Records Law Requires
The South Dakota Open Records Law sets the rules: an answer within 10 business days, at a charge of copying and staff time, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, 605-578-1707, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Lawrence County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 605-578-2230. Under the South Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Lawrence 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.