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.
Union County, South Dakota, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Union County depends on where the incident happened: the Union 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: Union County public records, Union County arrest records, Union County warrants, Union County inmate search, Union County criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Union 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 Union County that is the Union 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 Union County Sheriff's Office
The Union County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 9 violent and 27 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 71 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at unioncountysd.gov/unioncountysdsheriff/inmates (page title: Inmates | Union County, South Dakota), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Union County
The four cities the FBI lists in Union County with a reporting agency of their own:
- North Sioux City: 5 violent and 56 property crimes reported for 2025; 158 arrests reported for 2025.
- Beresford: 4 violent and 17 property crimes reported for 2025; 73 arrests reported for 2025.
- Elk Point: 0 violent and 9 property crimes reported for 2025; 21 arrests reported for 2025.
- Jefferson: 2 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Union County in 2025
The four agencies in Union County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 18 violent and 109 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Union County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 323 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at unioncountysd.gov/register-of-deeds/recordsrequest (page title: RecordsRequest | Union County, South Dakota).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, (605) 356-2666, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Union County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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.