Erie County
265,832 people, served by 22 police agencies that report to the FBI.
How a case moves here
Erie County follows Pennsylvania law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.
- Who decides release first
Outside Philadelphia, a magisterial district judge sets bail at the preliminary arraignment. In Philadelphia, an arraignment court magistrate appointed by the Municipal Court sets it; magistrates need not be lawyers if they complete a training program. Neither may set bail for murder or voluntary manslaughter; a Common Pleas judge does.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 51942 Pa.C.S. 1515(a)(4)42 Pa.C.S. 1123(a)(5)- Time to see a judge
A person arrested without a warrant must have a preliminary arraignment without unnecessary delay. The rule sets no hour limit. The U.S. Supreme Court's 48-hour rule for a probable cause finding applies as the federal floor.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 516(A)- Money bail
Money bail is allowed. The rules list five kinds of release, from release on recognizance to a money condition no larger than needed to ensure the person appears.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 524(C)- Courts
The Court of Common Pleas, organized in 60 judicial districts, tries felonies and misdemeanors. Magisterial district judges hear summary offenses, the lowest grade, and hold first arraignments and preliminary hearings. In Philadelphia, the Municipal Court tries crimes punishable by up to five years without a jury.
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, Courts of Common Pleas42 Pa.C.S. 151542 Pa.C.S. 1123- Judges and magistrates
Common Pleas judges win a contested election for a 10-year term, then run in yes-or-no retention elections without party labels. Magisterial district judges are elected in contested elections to six-year terms and need not be lawyers. All other judges must be members of the bar.
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, How Judges Are Elected
Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. The prison board statute covers counties of the third to fifth class and those that opt in; Philadelphia and Allegheny run jails under other arrangements not read here.
What this county does differently
Nothing county-specific yet
Cities and towns
- Erie93,850
- Millcreek township53,472
- Harborcreek township16,671
- Fairview township11,247
- Summit township7,314
- North East township6,484
- Corry6,116
- Edinboro borough5,440
- Girard township4,828
- Greene township4,456
- McKean township4,382
- Washington township4,380
- Conneaut township4,072
- North East borough4,054
- Waterford township3,893
- Lawrence Park township3,775
- Wesleyville borough3,179
- Springfield township3,049
- Girard borough2,962
- Lake City borough2,895
- Union City borough2,887
- Venango township2,292
- Greenfield township2,051
- LeBoeuf township1,775
- Franklin township1,653
- Elk Creek township1,587
- Union township1,542
- Wayne township1,512
- Waterford borough1,301
- Albion borough1,277
- Concord township1,046
- Amity township976
- Cranesville borough750
- Platea borough591
- McKean borough437
- Wattsburg borough341
- Mill Village borough334
- Elgin borough181
Every city, village, town, and township with any of its land in Erie County, largest first. Population, the whole place's: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024.
Police agencies
- Erie Police DepartmentCity police department92,461 served
- State Police: Erie CountyState police agency89,281 served
- Millcreek Township Police Department, Erie CountyCity police department52,826 served
- Edinboro Police DepartmentCity police department6,080 served
- Corry Police DepartmentCity police department6,031 served
- North East Police Department, Erie CountyCity police department4,045 served
- Lawrence Park Township Police DepartmentCity police department3,711 served
- Wesleyville Police DepartmentCity police department3,114 served
- Girard Police DepartmentCity police department2,929 served
- Lake City Police DepartmentCity police department2,850 served
- Union City Police DepartmentCity police department2,840 served
- Bureau of Forestry: Erie CountyOther state agency
- County Detective: Erie CountyOther agency
- Edinboro UniversityCollege or university police
- Erie County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county police
- Erie Municipal Airport AuthorityOther agency
- Gannon UniversityCollege or university police
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineCollege or university police
- Mercyhurst UniversityCollege or university police
- Office of Attorney General Region 3: Erie CountyOther state agency
- Pennsylvania State University: BehrendCollege or university police
- State Park Rangers: Presque IsleOther state agency
Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.
Crime
The crime index
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Per 100k | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 211 | 696 | 616 | 459 | 455 | 206 | 270 |
| Murder | 7 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 3.8 | 6.8 |
| Rape | 38 | 93 | 106 | 88 | 108 | 37 | 31 |
| Robbery | 24 | 90 | 83 | 68 | 46 | 26 | 61 |
| Aggravated assault | 142 | 505 | 412 | 295 | 294 | 139 | 170 |
| Property crime | 1,592 | 3,480 | 3,109 | 2,858 | 3,243 | 1,205 | 1,445 |
| Burglary | 153 | 418 | 337 | 272 | 269 | 122 | 133 |
| Larceny | 1,374 | 2,890 | 2,571 | 2,439 | 2,838 | 1,022 | 1,108 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 65 | 172 | 201 | 147 | 136 | 61 | 204 |
| Arson | 3 | 23 | 16 | 25 | 29 | 8.1 | 12 |
Outside the crime index
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Per 100k | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All offenses outside the crime index | 3,010 | 5,078 | 5,109 | 5,314 | 6,503 | 2,110 | 2,703 |
| Simple assault and intimidation | 826 | 1,717 | 1,900 | 1,976 | 2,304 | 736 | 897 |
| Vandalism | 443 | 1,319 | 1,177 | 1,024 | 952 | 415 | 580 |
| Fraud | 713 | 735 | 582 | 530 | 795 | 283 | 415 |
| Drug abuse violations | 690 | 760 | 935 | 1,212 | 1,564 | 435 | 475 |
| Weapons: carrying, possessing, etc. | 115 | 140 | 139 | 177 | 300 | 73 | 158 |
| Stolen property: buying, receiving, possessing | 36 | 42 | 32 | 78 | 82 | 23 | 27 |
| Forgery and counterfeiting | 36 | 66 | 36 | 50 | 91 | 24 | 31 |
| Embezzlement | 32 | 46 | 53 | 52 | 75 | 22 | 16 |
| Sex offenses (except rape and prostitution) | 76 | 173 | 185 | 137 | 258 | 70 | 51 |
| Prostitution and commercialized vice | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 4.9 | |
| Gambling | 4 | 3 | 1 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 1.8 | ||
| Other Group A offenses | 39 | 75 | 67 | 76 | 75 | 28 | 44 |
| Manslaughter by negligence (not in the total) | 2 | 1 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 1.2 | |||
| Human trafficking (not in the total) | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 0.7 |
Offenses agencies in Erie County reported to the FBI in incident detail (NIBRS), each year, the second table by the arrest class each offense falls in. Per 100k: offenses per 100,000 people the reporting agencies police, 2021 to 2025 added together, beside Pennsylvania's rate over the same years. Agencies that reported part of a year are counted with their people, as the state's rates count them. – means too few for a rate: the count is under 20.
Source: FBI NIBRS national master files, each agency's offenses and the FBI's population for it. Pennsylvania: the crime index: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CrimeDB's chosen value per year (the state page's figures); outside it: FBI NIBRS, agencies that sent incident detail.