Police & Law Enforcement Records

About Police & Law Enforcement Records

Police records are official documents maintained by local police departments, county sheriffs, and state law enforcement agencies. They include arrest records, incident reports, crime statistics, use-of-force reports, and dispatch logs. Under each state's open-records law, most police records are presumed public unless a specific exemption applies — such as active investigations, juvenile records, or protected personal information.

Types of Police Records

• Arrest Records — booking information, charges filed, and mugshots (where permitted by state law).
• Incident / Police Reports — officer narratives of events including crimes, accidents, and disturbances.
• Crime Statistics — aggregated data by agency submitted to the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
• Use-of-Force Reports — documentation of physical force used by officers.
• Dispatch / CAD Logs — Computer-Aided Dispatch records of all service calls received.

How to Request Police Records

1. Identify the agency holding the record (local PD, county sheriff, or state police).
2. Submit a written public-records request citing your state's open-records law.
3. Specify the record type, date range, and any names or case numbers involved.
4. Pay applicable fees (typically $0.10–$0.50 per page for reproductions).
5. Appeal denials to your state's oversight body — usually the Attorney General.