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 October 4, 2026.
Lake County, Tennessee, has about 6,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Lake County depends on where the incident happened: the Lake 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Lake 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 Lake County that is the Lake 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 Lake County Sheriff's Office
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 2 violent and 22 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 95 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (731) 253-7791. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at lakecountytn.gov/government/departments/sheriffs-department (page title: Sheriff's Department | Lake County, TN Government), phone (731) 253-7791, 109 S Court St. Tiptonville, TN 38079, Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Lake County
The two cities the FBI lists in Lake County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Tiptonville: 5 violent and 48 property crimes reported for 2024; 92 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ridgely: 30 arrests reported for 2023.
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: Lake County in 2024
The two agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 7 violent and 70 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 219 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Tennessee Public Records Act Requires
The Tennessee Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 7 business days, at a charge of copying, and labor after the first hour, from the agency that holds the report.
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 Lake County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (731) 253-7791. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 business days.
Is this the official Lake 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.