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 4, 2026.
Pennington County, South Dakota, has about 116,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Pennington County depends on where the incident happened: the Pennington 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: Pennington County public records, Pennington County arrest records, Pennington County warrants, Pennington County inmate search, Pennington County criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Pennington 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 Pennington County that is the Pennington 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 carries South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 133 violent and 208 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 3,608 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at pennco.org/law_public_safety/jail/current_inmates.php (page title: Pennington County, SD), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Pennington County
The two cities the FBI lists in Pennington County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Rapid City: 623 violent and 2,967 property crimes reported for 2025; 6,586 arrests reported for 2025.
- Box Elder: 45 violent and 199 property crimes reported for 2025; 547 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: Pennington County in 2025
The three agencies in Pennington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 801 violent and 3,374 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Pennington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,741 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Pennington County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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.