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 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026.
Decatur County, Tennessee, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Decatur County depends on where the incident happened: the Decatur 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 Tennessee Public Records 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: Decatur County public records, Decatur County arrest records, Decatur County warrants, Decatur County criminal records, Decatur County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Decatur 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 Decatur County that is the Decatur 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 Scotts Hill Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Decatur County, so its arrests are not broken out for Decatur County here.
Reports from the Decatur County Sheriff's Office
The Decatur County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 15 violent and 62 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 268 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Decatur County
The two cities the FBI lists in Decatur County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Parsons: 18 violent and 31 property crimes reported for 2024; 33 arrests reported for 2025.
- Decaturville: 8 arrests reported for 2020.
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: Decatur County in 2024
The two agencies in Decatur County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 33 violent and 93 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Decatur County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 301 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Tennessee Public Records Act Requires
Under the Tennessee Public Records Act the agency must answer a request within 7 business days, and it may charge copying, and labor after the first hour. 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 District Attorney General handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Decatur County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Decatur County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 business days.
How long does an agency in Decatur County have to answer?
Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, within 7 business days. It may charge copying, and labor after the first hour.
How do I get a report from the Decatur County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 business days.
Is this the official Decatur 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.