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 30, 2026.
Sullivan County, Tennessee, has about 163,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Sullivan County depends on where the incident happened: the Sullivan 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: Sullivan County public records, Sullivan County arrest records, Sullivan County warrants, Sullivan County inmate search, Sullivan County criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Sullivan 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 Sullivan County that is the Sullivan 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 list also carries Drug Task Force's 2nd Judicial District and Tri-Cities Regional Airport (other agency) and Northeast State Community College (campus police), each with a records office of its own.
The Johnson City Police Department is listed by the FBI across three counties including Sullivan County, so its arrests are not broken out for Sullivan County here.
Reports from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 220 violent and 545 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 4,896 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at scsotn.com/inmateRoster (page title: Inmate Roster | Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, TN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Sullivan County
The three cities the FBI lists in Sullivan County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Kingsport: 329 violent and 1,279 property crimes reported for 2025; 3,752 arrests reported for 2025. The Kingsport police records page is at kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/administrative_bure... (verified September 25, 2026).
- Bristol: 98 violent and 538 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,150 arrests reported for 2025.
- Bluff City: 9 violent and 26 property crimes reported for 2025; 91 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: Sullivan County in 2025
The four agencies in Sullivan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 656 violent and 2,388 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Sullivan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,889 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 sullivancountytn.gov/document/public-records-request (page title: Public Records REQUEST | Sullivan County TN).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney General, (423) 279-3278, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Sullivan County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.