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.
Jefferson County, Wisconsin, has about 86,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Jefferson County depends on where the incident happened: the Jefferson 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 Wisconsin Public Records Law 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: Jefferson County public records, Jefferson County arrest records, Jefferson County warrants, Jefferson County inmate search, Jefferson County criminal records, Wisconsin arrest records and Wisconsin inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County that is the Jefferson 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 Whitewater Police Department and the Village of Lac La Belle Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Jefferson County, so their arrests are not broken out for Jefferson County here.
Reports from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 11 violent and 85 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 552 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 920-674-7310. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at jeffersoncountywi.gov/sheriff_br_law_enforcement___public_safety/ja... (page title: Jefferson County Jail Division), phone 920-674-7310, 411 S. Center Avenue Jefferson WI 53549, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Jefferson County
The seven cities the FBI lists in Jefferson County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Watertown: 38 violent and 126 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,270 arrests reported for 2025.
- Fort Atkinson: 27 violent and 52 property crimes reported for 2025; 364 arrests reported for 2025. The Fort Atkinson police department's page is at fortatkinsonwi.gov/departments/police/forms.php (verified September 25, 2026).
- Jefferson: 18 violent and 118 property crimes reported for 2025; 501 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lake Mills: 8 violent and 29 property crimes reported for 2025; 168 arrests reported for 2025. The Lake Mills police department's page is at cityoflakemillswi.gov/policecontact, phone (920) 674-7310 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Waterloo: 0 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 20 arrests reported for 2025.
- Johnson Creek: 0 violent and 42 property crimes reported for 2025; 1 arrests reported for 2025.
- Palmyra: 32 arrests reported for 2023.
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: Jefferson County in 2025
The seven agencies in Jefferson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 102 violent and 466 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the seven agencies in Jefferson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,876 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Wisconsin Public Records Law Requires
Under the Wisconsin Public Records Law the agency must answer a request as soon as practicable and without delay; the law sets no number of days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying and locating, with no charge for the first $50 of locating. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at jeffersoncountywi.gov/sheriff_br_law_enforcement___public_safety/op... (page title: Jefferson County Open Records).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 920-674-7220, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Jefferson County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Wisconsin Public Records Law the answer is due as soon as practicable and without delay; the law sets no number of days.
How long does an agency in Jefferson County 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 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 920-674-7310. 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 Jefferson 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.