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.
Washburn County, Wisconsin, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Washburn County depends on where the incident happened: the Washburn 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: Washburn County public records, Washburn County arrest records, Washburn County warrants, Washburn County inmate search, Washburn County criminal records, Wisconsin arrest records and Wisconsin inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Washburn 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 Washburn County that is the Washburn 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 Washburn County Sheriff's Office
The Washburn County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 12 violent and 43 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 161 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at washburnsheriff.org/jail (page title: Washburn County Jail | Washburn County Sheriff's Office), 421 Highway 63, Shell Lake, WI 54871, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Washburn County
The two cities the FBI lists in Washburn County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Spooner: 5 violent and 32 property crimes reported for 2025; 185 arrests reported for 2025.
- Birchwood: 5 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: Washburn County in 2025
The two agencies in Washburn County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 17 violent and 75 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Washburn County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 346 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (715) 468-4670, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Washburn County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Washburn 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 Washburn 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 Washburn County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. 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 Washburn 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.