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 on September 23, 2026.
Howard County, Texas, has about 31,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Howard County depends on where the incident happened: the Howard 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: Howard County public records, Howard County arrest records, Howard County property records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Howard 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 Howard County that is the Howard 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 Howard County Sheriff's Office
The Howard County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 38 violent and 238 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 183 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Howard County
The one city the FBI lists in Howard County with a reporting agency of its own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Big Spring: 187 violent and 532 property crimes reported for 2025; 754 arrests reported for 2025. The Big Spring police department's page is at bigspringtx.gov/m/directory/department?did=27, phone 432-264-2550 (verified September 25, 2026).
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: Howard County in 2025
The two agencies in Howard County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 225 violent and 770 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Howard County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 937 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Texas Public Information Act Requires
The Texas Public Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 10 business days, at a charge of the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Howard County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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.