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 9, 2026.
Smith County, Tennessee, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Smith County depends on where the incident happened: the Smith 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: Smith County public records, Smith County arrest records, Smith County warrants, Smith County inmate search, Smith County criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Smith 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 Smith County that is the Smith 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 Smith County Sheriff's Office
The Smith County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 23 violent and 45 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 857 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (615) 735-7435. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at smithcountyinsider.com/home-page-featured/smith-county-sheriffs-off... (page title: Smith County Sheriff’s Office welcomes two new deputies | Smith County Insider), phone (615) 735-7435, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Smith County
The three cities the FBI lists in Smith County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Carthage: 8 violent and 49 property crimes reported for 2025; 115 arrests reported for 2025.
- South Carthage: 1 violent and 9 property crimes reported for 2025; 36 arrests reported for 2025.
- Gordonsville: 3 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025; 60 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: Smith County in 2025
The four agencies in Smith County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 35 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 Smith County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,068 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.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at smithcotn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Smith-County-Open-Records-... (page title: Open Records Request).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney General, (931)962-1144, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Smith County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Smith 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 Smith 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 Smith County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (615) 735-7435. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act the answer is due within 7 business days.
Is this the official Smith 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.