Top Choice
Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View RecordsPolice Reports
How To Search Police Reports
Police reports are agency records. Search or request them from the law-enforcement agency that created the report, not from a generic national database.
Direct answer
Find the Agency Behind the Police Report
To search police reports, first identify the agency that created the report and the incident date/location. Some agencies publish a records-request page or local portal; others use a state public-records or FOIL process. Federal FOIA applies to federal agencies, not as a substitute for a city or state police records procedure.
Process
Find the report owner before the form
-
01
Identify the agency
City police, sheriff, state police or federal agency.
-
02
Collect incident identifiers
Report number, date, location and involved names.
-
03
Use that agency’s records route
Online portal, records unit, state open-records process or federal FOIA as applicable.
-
04
Read exemptions and eligibility rules
Active investigations, privacy and statutory limits can affect release.
Source map
Agency type to request path
| Record owner | Typical official route | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal police | Department Records Unit | Norristown Police Records |
| State police | State public-records / FOIL process | New York State Police FOIL |
| Federal law-enforcement agency | Federal FOIA process | FOIA.gov routes to the agency |
Important
FOIA is not one universal police-record form
Federal FOIA does not replace state and local public-records laws. Start with the agency that created the report.
Use this
Describe the request precisely
- Incident/report number if known.
- Date and approximate time.
- Location and involved party names.
- The specific document requested, such as incident report or crash report.
Related Record Guides
Sources
Authoritative next stops
Official municipal police source
Norristown Police Department - Records
Police report request eligibility, Records Department route and active-investigation restriction For this page, it supports the how to search police reports research route.
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Official state police source
New York State Police - FOIL Record Request Form
Written FOIL requests for identifiable New York State Police records such as incidents For this page, it supports the how to search police reports research route.
New York
Official federal records source
FOIA.gov
Federal FOIA research and request workflow; recommends checking already-public agency material first For this page, it supports the how to search police reports research route.
United States federal agencies