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 1, 2026.
Panola County, Texas, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Panola County depends on where the incident happened: the Panola 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: Panola County public records, Panola County arrest records, Panola County warrants, Panola County inmate search, Panola County criminal records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Panola 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 Panola County that is the Panola 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 Panola College (campus police) and Panola County Constable at Precinct 2 & 3 and Panola County Constable at Precinct 1 & 4 (other agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Tatum Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Panola County, so its arrests are not broken out for Panola County here.
Reports from the Panola County Sheriff's Office
The Panola County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 23 violent and 111 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 174 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 903-693-0333. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at co.panola.tx.us/1204/Sheriffs-Office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Panola County, TX), phone 903-693-0333, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Panola County
The one city the FBI lists in Panola County with a reporting agency of its own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Carthage: 26 violent and 88 property crimes reported for 2025; 126 arrests reported for 2025. The Carthage police records page is at carthagetexas.us/departments/police_dept/records.php, phone 903.693.3866 (verified September 26, 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: Panola County in 2025
The two agencies in Panola County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 49 violent and 199 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Panola County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 300 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 903-693-0310, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Panola County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Panola 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 Panola 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 Panola County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 903-693-0333. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Panola 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.