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 24, 2026.
Wise County, Virginia, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Wise County depends on where the incident happened: the Wise 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: Wise County public records, Wise County arrest records, Wise County warrants, Wise County inmate search, Wise County criminal records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Wise 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 Wise County that is the Wise 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 Wise County State Police in Wise County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's list also carries the University of Virginia's College at Wise (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Wise County Sheriff's Office
The Wise County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 40 violent and 108 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 927 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 276-328-3566. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at wisecounty.org/211/Sheriff---WCSO (page title: Sheriff | WCSO | Wise County, VA), phone 276-328-3566, 5605 Patriot Drive Wise, VA 24293, Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Wise County
The five cities the FBI lists in Wise County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Big Stone Gap: 96 arrests reported for 2025.
- Wise: 5 violent and 47 property crimes reported for 2025; 53 arrests reported for 2025.
- Coeburn: 6 violent and 42 property crimes reported for 2025; 114 arrests reported for 2024.
- Pound: 0 violent and 2 property crimes reported for 2025; 25 arrests reported for 2025.
- St. Paul: 0 violent and 19 property crimes reported for 2025; 40 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: Wise County in 2025
The five agencies in Wise County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 51 violent and 218 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Wise County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,141 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Virginia Freedom of Information Act Requires
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer a request within 5 working days, and it may charge the actual cost of searching and copying. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Commonwealth's Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Wise County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Wise 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 Wise 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 Wise County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Wise County State Police in Wise County.
How do I get a report from the Wise County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 276-328-3566. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 working days.
Is this the official Wise 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.