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.
Hale County, Texas, has about 32,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Hale County depends on where the incident happened: the Hale 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 Texas Public Information 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: Hale County public records, Hale County arrest records, Hale County warrants, Hale County inmate search, Hale County criminal records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Hale 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 Hale County that is the Hale 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 the Hale County Constable's Precinct 3 (other agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Hale County Sheriff's Office
The Hale County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it reported 262 arrests for 2020.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at halecounty.org/county_offices/jail/jail_roster.php (page title: Welcome to Halecounty), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Hale County
The four cities the FBI lists in Hale County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Plainview: 121 violent and 363 property crimes reported for 2025; 340 arrests reported for 2025.
- Abernathy: 4 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2025; 13 arrests reported for 2025.
- Hale Center: 2 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 9 arrests reported for 2025.
- Petersburg: 1 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 1 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: Hale County in 2025
The four agencies in Hale County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 128 violent and 372 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Hale County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 363 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Texas Public Information Act Requires
Under the Texas Public Information Act the agency must answer a request within 10 business days, and it may charge the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Hale County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Hale County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
How long does an agency in Hale County have to answer?
Under the Texas Public Information Act, within 10 business days. It may charge the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests.
How do I get a report from the Hale County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Hale 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.