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.
Vernon County, Wisconsin, has about 31,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Vernon County depends on where the incident happened: the Vernon 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: Vernon County public records, Vernon County arrest records, Vernon County warrants, Vernon County inmate search, Vernon County criminal records, Wisconsin arrest records and Wisconsin inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Vernon 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 Vernon County that is the Vernon 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.
Reports from the Vernon County Sheriff's Office
The Vernon County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 19 violent and 50 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 140 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 608-638-5780. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at vernoncountywi.gov/departments/sheriff_s_office/jail.php (page title: Welcome to Vernon County, WI), phone 608-638-5780, 1320 Bad Axe Court, Viroqua, WI 54665, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Vernon County
The five cities the FBI lists in Vernon County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Viroqua: 10 violent and 59 property crimes reported for 2024; 166 arrests reported for 2025.
- Westby: 61 arrests reported for 2023.
- Hillsboro: 157 arrests reported for 2019.
- La Farge: 5 arrests reported for 2022.
- Readstown: 0 arrests reported for 2019.
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: Vernon County in 2024
The two agencies in Vernon County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 29 violent and 109 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Vernon County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 306 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
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 vernoncountywi.gov/departments/sheriff_s_office/request_records.php (page title: Record Requests).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Vernon County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Vernon 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 Vernon 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 Vernon County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 608-638-5780. 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 Vernon 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.