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 on September 24, 2026.
McDowell County, West Virginia, 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 McDowell County depends on where the incident happened: the McDowell 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 West 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: McDowell County public records, McDowell County arrest records, McDowell County warrants, McDowell County inmate search, McDowell County criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from McDowell 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 McDowell County that is the McDowell 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 Welch State Police in McDowell 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 State Fire Marshal in McDowell County and the Department of Natural Resources in McDowell County (state agency), each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the McDowell County Sheriff's Office
The McDowell County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 6 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2023 and reported 224 arrests for 2020.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in McDowell County
The three cities the FBI lists in McDowell County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Welch: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- War: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Davy: 1,152 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: McDowell County in 2023
The one agency in McDowell County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 6 violent and 3 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in McDowell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,456 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act Requires
Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in McDowell County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the McDowell County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
How long does an agency in McDowell County have to answer?
Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, within 5 business days. It may charge the actual cost of copying.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in McDowell County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Welch State Police in McDowell County.
How do I get a report from the McDowell County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official McDowell 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.