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 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Wayne County, West Virginia, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Wayne County depends on where the incident happened: the Wayne 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: Wayne County public records, Wayne County arrest records, Wayne County warrants, Wayne County inmate search, Wayne County criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Wayne 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 Wayne County that is the Wayne 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 Wayne State Police in Wayne 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 Wayne County and the Department of Natural Resources in Wayne County (state agency), each with a records office of its own.
The Huntington Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Wayne County, so its arrests are not broken out for Wayne County here.
Reports from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it reported 40 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (304) 272-6378. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at waynecountywv.org/sheriff.php (page title: Wayne County West Virginia), phone (304) 272-6378, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Wayne County
The four cities the FBI lists in Wayne County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Kenova: 2 violent and 19 property crimes reported for 2025; 252 arrests reported for 2025.
- Wayne.
- Ceredo: 1 violent and 3 property crimes reported for 2025; 83 arrests reported for 2025.
- Fort Gay.
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: Wayne County in 2025
The two agencies in Wayne County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3 violent and 22 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Wayne County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 335 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act Requires
The West Virginia Freedom of Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 5 business days, at a charge of the actual cost of copying, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Wayne County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Wayne State Police in Wayne County.
How do I get a report from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (304) 272-6378. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official Wayne 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.