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 9, 2026.
Hanover County, Virginia, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Hanover County depends on where the incident happened: the Hanover 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 Virginia Freedom of 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: Hanover County public records, Hanover County arrest records, Hanover County warrants, Hanover County inmate search, Hanover County criminal records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Hanover 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 Hanover County that is the Hanover 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 places the Hanover County State Police in Hanover County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
Reports from the Hanover County Sheriff's Office
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 123 violent and 723 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,805 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at hanoversheriff.com/306/Find (page title: Find | Hanover County Sheriff, VA), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Hanover County
The one city the FBI lists in Hanover County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Ashland: 36 violent and 115 property crimes reported for 2025; 215 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: Hanover County in 2025
The two agencies in Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 159 violent and 838 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,020 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Virginia Freedom of Information Act Requires
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 5 working days, at a charge of the actual cost of searching and copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at hanovercounty.gov/356/Make-a-Public-Records-FOIA-Request (page title: FOIA Rights and Responsibilities | Hanover County, VA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Commonwealth's Attorney, 804-365-6185, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Hanover County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Hanover County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 working days.
How long does an agency in Hanover County have to answer?
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, within 5 working days. It may charge the actual cost of searching and copying.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Hanover County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Hanover County State Police in Hanover County.
How do I get a report from the Hanover County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 working days.
Is this the official Hanover 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.