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 2, 2026.
Shelby County, Tennessee, has about 911,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Shelby County depends on where the incident happened: the Shelby 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: Shelby County public records, Shelby County arrest records, Shelby County warrants, Shelby County criminal records, Shelby County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Shelby 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 Shelby County that is the Shelby 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 agency list also places two other agencies and four campus police departments in Shelby County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 461 violent and 1,864 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,603 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Shelby County
The five cities the FBI lists in Shelby County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Memphis: 11,239 violent and 30,508 property crimes reported for 2025; 16,348 arrests reported for 2025. The Memphis police records page is at memphispolice.org/divisions/administrative/central-records, phone 901-636-3650 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Bartlett: 148 violent and 665 property crimes reported for 2025; 4,793 arrests reported for 2025.
- Collierville: 91 violent and 529 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,280 arrests reported for 2025.
- Germantown: 50 violent and 492 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,389 arrests reported for 2025.
- Millington: 55 violent and 370 property crimes reported for 2025; 389 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: Shelby County in 2025
The six agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,044 violent and 34,428 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 26,802 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, (901) 222-1300, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Shelby County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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.