How To Get A Police Report Online

How Do I Get A Copy Of A Police Report

Police investigations may seem secretive, but did you know you can get your hands on a copy of an official police report? Whether youve been in a car accident, youve witnessed a crime, or you simply want to know about an incident that happened in your jurisdiction, there are steps you can take to request access to police reports.

The exact process may vary by jurisdiction, but it is generally the same across the country. Agencies have different policies for releasing sensitive information that is in police reports, so be sure to check with your local police department to confirm how they handle requests. As you are researching, you may find the request titled a Freedom of Information Request or a Public Access Request. Different areas use varying language, but they both mean the same thing and are referring to the Freedom of Information Act , which makes it entirely legal for citizens to request certain government information.

Reports will include details of the incident, where it took place, who was involved, witnesses, and much more essentially, it is anything that is even remotely relevant to the case. But keep in mind, you will not be able to receive a copy of a police report until after the police investigation has been closed.

So, how do you get a copy of this information? Check out the steps below.

When Should I Call Police Instead

• If you have a known suspect.
• If you are in possession of any evidence.
• If the value of the theft, loss or property damage is MORE THAN $5,000.
• If the incident occurred outside of Waterloo Region.
• If someone broke into your home or business.
• If this is a motor vehicle collision.
• If this is a theft or loss of a firearm.
• If this is a theft or loss of Government issued Personal Identification documents, other than Driver Licences
• If this is related to any form of personal violence including domestic violence.
• If this is related to any kind of vandalism or graffiti that could be described as hate motivated.
• If this is related to Fraud Over $25,000
• If this is related to a traffic complaint that is in progress.
• If you represent a retail business, other than a LCBO, reporting a theft .

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If this is an emergency or the crime is in progress, please call 911 or 277-8911.

If you want to provide a crime tip, visit the Crime Stoppers website at www.svcrimestoppers.org.

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What Type Of Information And Data Is Contained In A Police Report

The following are types of data and information that may be included in a police report. Please note that there is no universal police report. Information will vary from department to department.

• Identifying information for all parties involved in the incident, including full name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security numbers, driver license numbers
• Date of the occurrence or incident
• Location of the occurrence or incident
• The officers name and ID number
• The names of other officers who were present
• Diagrams or drawings of the scene
• The names of witnesses and their statements
• Reference number

The law enforcement case file may also contain motor vehicle information, as well as specific details of the incident and any evidence associated with the case.

Examples of police reports may include but are not limited to domestic disputes, traffic accidents, thefts, fraud, assault, burglaries, and stalking incidents. Other information that may be available includes crime surveys, crime statistics, calls for service, weather information, and traffic accident surveys.

How To Order And Access Motor Vehicle Accident Reports

DMV keeps accident reports for 4 years from the date of an accident, except for rare cases. 1

You can order a certified accident report online or by mail. 2

You will need to pay a search fee . 3 To order reports you will need to pay an additional $15 fee .

You can search, purchase, and immediately download certified accident reports online.

You must pay both a

• $7.00 search fee, and
• $15.00 report fee for each report 4

Please note: you must complete Step 1 of the online transaction before you will be able to perform a free or paid search.

First: Do a Free limited search to see if the DMV has your report

To see if your report is available in our system use ‘List Reports on File by Date’ to see a list of accidents by the county and date you select . The list of accidents will include the plate numbers of the vehicles involved in the accident.

If there are reports you want, you will need to do a paid search before you can order them.

Second: Do a ‘Paid’ search

To search for your report use ‘Search by Plate Number, License Number, or DMV Accident Case Number’ .

You will be charged a fee even if

• you enter the incorrect information, or
• if the report are not found

Each search costs $7.

Next: Order your reports

To order reports, you will need one of the following

• the plate number of a vehicle involved in the crash/accident, and/or
• the driver license number of a person who was involved in the accident, and/or
• the 8-digit DMV case number .

Each report costs $15. 5

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Citizen Online Police Reporting System

Welcome to the Saskatoon Police Service Citizens Online Police Reporting System.

If this is an Emergency please call 911.

Using this Citizens Online Police Reporting System allows you to submit a non urgent report immediately.

You may also print a copy of both the Temporary and the Permanent police report for your personal records only. These copies cannot be used for insurance purposes

Step : Make Sure Your Occurrence Can Be Reported Online

Use the information below to see if you can use this system. If your occurrence qualifies for online reporting, proceed to the next step. If your occurrence does not qualify for online reporting, it cannot be accepted by the officer managing online reporting. These occurrences require contact with a local OPP officer for investigation. Please call the OPP toll-free at 1-888-310-1122 to file a report. Links to external websites including those with video, digital images or documents that are not supported by this application cannot be managed through this online reporting service. Please include a narrative description of the occurrence if you will be filing an online report.

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What Happens After I File A Report Online

• Upon submitting your completed report online, you will see the words Your online police report has been submitted indicating your report is complete.
• You will receive an email with a temporary case number until police have reviewed the report. Check your junk email folder if you do not receive the email in your inbox.
• Once a police officer has approved the online report, you will be notified and provided a permanent case number.
• The accuracy of the information you provide in the report greatly assists Peel Regional Police Service in investigating your incident. Please ensure the report is as complete and concise as possible.

Reporting A Sexual Assault Online

York Regional Police understands that while sexual assaults often cause long-lasting trauma, survivors may have difficulty speaking about incidents with friends, family members, or police officers. To help mitigate the challenges faced by sexual assault survivors, York Regional Police now accepts reports of historical sexual assaults online, which are received directly by qualified sexual assault investigators.

Learn more about reporting a sexual assault online.

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Reports You Can Submit Online

• Theft from vehicle no limit on value of property
• Theft of property no limit on value of property
• Theft of credit or debit card – regardless of fraudulent use.
• Mischief to vehicle such as vandalism, unless there is evidence of a collision such as paint transfer
• Mischief to property such as vandalism
• Lost property with the exception of government-issued ID such as passports. Please call your local district office to report lost government issued documents.
• Attempted stolen vehicle regardless of damage value
• Break & enter an unlocked premise Entry gained by unknown persons to detached garages, secure parkades, vehicle parkades, porches, sheds, storage lockers and laundry rooms. If entry occurs by forced or kicked indoor, or lock cut then report should be reported to 403-266-1234.
• Theft from a parkade or vehicle parked in a parkade only if no forced entry, otherwise call 403-266-1234.
• Theft of mail including deliveries from postal services such as UPS.

Filing a false police report is a crime.

Note: Please turn off your pop-up blocking software before filing the report.

What Is A Police Report

People file a police report with law enforcement for a wide variety of reasons such as domestic disputes, traffic accidents, burglaries, and home invasions, fraud, theft, stalking, violence, and many other reasons. To file a report, citizens usually begin by calling 911, or their local police departments non-emergency line, to report the incident.

Once a citizen reports an incident, dispatchers assign it to local officers in the area. The police officers travel to the appropriate location via car, motorcycle, or other police vehicles. Then, the officers evaluate the situation, make observations, interview witnesses, record data, and complete forms and reports required by their local police department.

Police officers also initiate the filing of a report to record the data and gather the details associated with criminal and civil incidents such as car accidents, burglaries, assaults, and robberies, just to name a few.

Officers gather and record a great deal of information and data on a police report. This is to help ensure thorough and accurate investigations and to support criminal proceedings if they become necessary. Also, background verification services may use them in background checks. The information contained in the typical police report may vary from county to county, but most capture very similar information.

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Start An Online Police Report In: English

FILING A FALSE POLICE REPORT IS A CRIME

If your incident did not meet the criteria for online reporting, please dial 1-877-ASK-LAPD

for Non-Emergency Police Response.

Welcome to the Los Angeles Police Department Community Online Reporting Service. Using this service allows you to submit select police reports at your convenience.

IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY OR CRIME IN PROGRESS, PLEASE CALL 911.

To File an Illegal Dumping Report Online:

• Illegal Dumping: Willfully or intentionally depositing, dropping, dumping, placing, or throwing onto public or private property. Illegal dumping is reported and handled by the City of Los Angeles Department of Sanitation. Please to file a report.

Your incident must meet the following criteria:

• The incident is not an emergency.
• The incident occurred within the City of Los Angeles.
• You must be at least 18 years old.
• No one was injured as a result of this incident.
• There are no known suspects.
• The incident did not occur on the state highway.
• No firearms were involved in the incident.
• You must have internet access and an email address.

Once you have submitted your report:

Please note:

• Filing a false police report is a crime. Anyone filing a false police report may be prosecuted under California Penal Code section 148.5 PC. Filing a false police report is punishable by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both.

How To Get A Police Report For A Car Accident

After you have been in a car accident, one of the first questions your insurance provider will ask you is do you have a copy of the police report? Obtaining accident reports is a similar process to the one above, but it is generally a bit easier because in most cases, there is no criminal investigation. If you are in a car accident, you will receive a slip with an incident number on it. To obtain your police report, simply visit the police department that the report was filed from and trade the sheet for the actual report. If you do not obtain your police report, your insurance company will have to request a copy via mail, and it will take a bit longer.

There are also resources online that house accident reports, like LexisNexis and Buycrash. However, the safest and quickest option to is visit your local Police Desk as soon as possible after the accident. Accident reports can be ready to pick-up as early as 24 hours after the accident, and up to a week. Another way to get a copy of a police report is through your local Department of Motor Vehicles.

Now that you know about how to get a copy of a police report, check out How To File a Police Report.

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Citizen Online Report Entry

If your incident:

• Requires IMMEDIATE police attendance or a lengthy on-scene investigation
• Is related to Domestic Violence
• Involves an Emotionally Disturbed Person
• Involves the reporting of Theft of E-Bike
• Is motivated by hate bias

Please call the Toronto Police at 416-808-2222 and DO NOT submit your report online.If this is an emergency, please call 911.

In order for the Toronto Police Service to process your CORE report, the following information is MANDATORY

• Your EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER and other contact information.
• The INCIDENT START AND END DATE
• The LOCATION of the incident, including the place or area your property was believed stolen.
• Please CREATE A SEPARATE PROPERTY ENTRY for EACH piece of property that you are reporting stolen.

The accuracy of the information you provide in the report greatly assists the Toronto Police Service in investigating your report. Please ensure it is as COMPLETE AND CONCISE as possible.

If you have filed a report online and would like to add/change/update your report, please submit a Supplemental Report.

It is the policy of the Toronto Police Service to not accept reports of non-emergency incidents that occur outside of the City of Toronto.

What Do I Do If I Have Problems Or Am Not Able To Complete An Online Crime Report

If you are having technical problems we suggest you try submitting your report using a different computer if possible. Check that your pop-up blocker is not preventing pop-up windows, and that JavaScript and cookies are enabled in your browser.

You may be able to file your report by phone by calling police communications at 408-277-8900 Monday through Friday, from Noon to 4:00PM or, you may visit the police administration building and make your report to an officer at the information desk.

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Damage/ Mischief To Property

Has someone damaged, defaced or vandalized public or private property? This may include:

• Breaking windows, mailboxes, throwing eggs, spray painting, writing or drawing on property.
• Accepted only if there are no known suspects.Please Note: If you were a victim of graffiti vandalism, paint vouchers and graffiti wipes are available for pick up at Police Headquarters.

File An Online Police Report

Emergency9-1-1

• This is not an Emergency.
• There is no evidence to be collected.
• The incident occurred within the Orange City limits.
• There are no known suspects.
• This did not occur on a state freeway.
• You have a valid email address.

• See the message: “Your online report has been submitted”, showing that your police report is complete.
• Be issued a temporary police report number. Once your report has been reviewed and approved, you will be issued a permanent police report case number.
• Be able to print a copy of the police report for your records.

• Reports submitted not meeting the online approval criteria will not be approved and you will receive an email explaining the reason.
• All cases filed using the online report system will be reviewed.
• Upon review, if further information or investigation of your case is needed, you may be contacted.
• If your incident is not listed in the online report choices, please call the City of Orange Police Department 744-7444) to file a report.
• Filing a false police report is a crime.

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Reports You Cannot Submit Online

• Robbery
• House and business break and enters
• Domestic disputes
• Theft of a vehicle
• Any type of fraud resulting in the loss of funds/personal information or property, including fraudulent use of debit or credit cards
• Incidents that involve lost / stolen citizenship cards, permanent resident cards, immigration documents, government cheques, or cash from the government
• Incidents involving firearms
• Stolen property for sale online such as on Kijiji, Craigslist, Facebook, etc.

These crimes may require a dispatched call. Please phone the Police non-emergency line 266-1234.

FOR EMERGENCIES OR CRIMES IN PROGRESS CALL 9-1-1.

Upon Completion Of This Report Process You Will:

• See the words: “Your online police report has been submitted”.
• You will then immediately receive a temporary police report file number and an email informing you that we have received your report and that it is pending review. A temporary file number will appear in this format: T11000999. Temporary file numbers cannot be used for insurance purposes.
• If you do not receive an email with a temporary file number, please check your Spam or Junk-Email folder.
• A police officer will review your report and either Approve, Reject or request additional follow-up information from you. You will be advised via email of the status of your report. Do not reply via email to any of these automated messages as these accounts are not monitored. Follow the directions provided on how to respond regarding your report.
• Once your report is approved, you will receive a permanent report number – this number appears in this format: 11-123456.
• Be able to print a copy of the police report to keep for your records only. This copy cannot be used for insurance purposes.

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