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.
Shelby County, Texas, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Shelby County depends on where the incident happened: the Shelby 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: Shelby County public records, Shelby County arrest records, Shelby County warrants, Shelby County criminal records, Shelby County court records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Shelby 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 Shelby County that is the Shelby 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 Center Independent School District (other agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 22 violent and 110 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 594 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Shelby County
The two cities the FBI lists in Shelby County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Center: 217 arrests reported for 2024.
- Tenaha: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 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: Shelby County in 2025
The two agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 22 violent and 110 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 811 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, 936-598-2489, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Shelby County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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.