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 25, 2026.
Madison, Wisconsin, in Dane County, has about 285,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Madison depends on where the incident happened. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Wisconsin Public Records Law requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the city's records page, the sheriff's reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Madison public records, Dane County police reports, Madison arrest records, Madison warrants, Madison inmate search, Madison criminal records, Wisconsin arrest records and Wisconsin inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Madison
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.
Inside Madison that is the agency that reports to the FBI for the city (filed by the FBI as Madison Police Department); outside it, the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's list also carries the University of Wisconsin at Madison (campus police) and the Capitol Police (state agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Edgerton Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Dane County, so its arrests are not broken out for Dane County here.
Reports from the Madison Police
For Madison, SearchSystems opened and checked the Madison police records page at cityofmadison.com/police/data-records (page title: Data & Records | Police | City of Madison, WI), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
The agency that reports for Madison had 616 violent and 5,421 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 8,274 arrests for 2025.
Reports from the Dane County Sheriff's Office
The Dane County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 49 violent and 320 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,739 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (608) 266-4311. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at danesheriff.com/Jail (page title: Jail | Dane County Sheriff's Office), phone (608) 266-4311, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Madison, WI 53703, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
What the Wisconsin Public Records Law Requires
The Wisconsin Public Records Law sets the rules: an answer as soon as practicable and without delay; the law sets no number of days, at a charge of the actual cost of copying and locating, with no charge for the first $50 of locating, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at danecounty.gov/record-requests (page title: Public Record Requests | Dane County, Wisconsin).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (608) 266-9150, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Madison?
From the agency that took it. The Madison police records page is at cityofmadison.com/police/data-records; the sheriff's reports come from the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
How long does an agency in Madison have to answer?
Under the Wisconsin Public Records Law, as soon as practicable and without delay; the law sets no number of days. It may charge the actual cost of copying and locating, with no charge for the first $50 of locating.
How do I get a report from the Dane County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (608) 266-4311. Under the Wisconsin Public Records Law the answer is due as soon as practicable and without delay; the law sets no number of days.
Is this the official Madison website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.