Rules For Reporting Alberta Accidents In The Traffic Safety Act
Section 69 of the Traffic Safety Act states the duty of drivers involved in a traffic accident in Alberta :
69 Where an accident in which a vehicle is involved occurs on a highway, the driver or other person in charge of any vehicle that was directly or indirectly involved in the accident shall :
remain at the scene of the accident or, if the person has left the scene of the accident, immediately return to the scene of the accident unless otherwise directed by a peace officer, render all reasonable assistance, and produce in writing to anyone sustaining loss or injury, to any peace officer and to any witness all or such of the following information as is requested :
that persons name and address the number of that persons operators licence the name and address of the registered owner of the vehicle the licence plate number of the vehicle a financial responsibility card issued in respect of that vehicle.
Reporting A Hit And Run Car Accident
If you are the victim of a hit and run accident, call the police immediately. If you were in the vehicle when the accident occurred, try to get :
- The plate of the other vehicle
- A description of the vehicle
- A description of the driver
- Location and the direction the vehicle fled
- Any other information that can help identify the other vehicle/driver
Do not attempt to follow the vehicle. If your vehicle is driveable, visit the nearest police station.
Bomb Threats By Telephone
If you receive a bomb threat over the telephone, Ready.gov provides the following information on what to do:
- Get as much information from the caller as possible. Try to ask the following questions:
- When is the bomb going to explode?
- Where is it right now?
- What does it look like?
- What kind of bomb is it?
- What will cause it to explode?
- Did you place the bomb?
The Department of Homeland Security also provides a helpful telephone bomb threat checklist.
Get more information on what to do if you receive a bomb threat or find a suspicious item.
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File A Restraining Order
If you’re in an emergency situation, call 911.
If you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse and want to take legal action, you may be able to file for a protective order. Protective orders are also known as restraining orders or injunctions.
The process for obtaining a protective order differs from state-to-state. Your local police and court can help you get the process started. Contact your state, county, or municipal court for more information.
Generally, you have to fill out paperwork and submit it to the county courthouse. If you need protection right away, a judge may issue a temporary restraining order. To get a longer-term order, your judge may require a full court hearing and/or your abuser’s presence.
A protective order can be enforced by police. If necessary, the order can include special provisions like:
-
Custody of children
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Forcing the abuser to leave a home
In some states, a protective order requires the abuser to surrender all firearms.
Obtain A Public Police Report Copy
After filing a public police report you are able to obtain a copy for yourself any time. Unless you received one from a dispatched officer on the scene, you most likely will have to pay a fee to obtain a copy.
Most police reports are public record so anyone who wants to see their own or someone elses report is able to do so. Reports that are under investigation though are usually restricted to the police department and investigating parties, however.
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If You Cant Get A Police Certificate From Your Country Or Territory
If youre unable to get a police certificate from a country, youre responsible to show why you cant get one. To prove that you cant get a police certificate, you must:
- show proof that you requested a police certificate from the correct authorities and
- write a letter explaining all the efforts you have taken to get one
Even if you send us the above items, this is not a guarantee of acceptance.
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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Request An Accident Report Online
**UNDER CONSTRUCTION** You can try searching for your case number, but if it is not available through Lexis Nexis then you will need to request it via the steps in the section above. Sorry for any inconvenience.
To request a copy of an accident report have your case number available go to Lexis Nexis Accident Report search
Most accident reports written by the Walnut Creek Police Department can be obtained online. However some may not. Reasons an accident report may not be available online are:
- The accident did not occur in the jurisdiction of the Walnut Creek Police Department.
- There were serious injuries and/or a fatality as a result of the accident.
- There was a crime associated with the accident report.
- The report is not complete.
- The report cannot be released by applicable laws.
Reports are typically available within 5 to 10 days. If the report is not available online after 10 days, please contact the Walnut Creek Police Records Division at 925-943-5890.
Cost of an online accident report is $5.00, which is paid directly to Lexis Nexis.
The Walnut Creek Police Department reserves the right to restrict the availability of online accident reports.
How Do Insurance Companies Use Police Reports
After a car accident, when a claim is reported, the insurance company will conduct its own investigation. One of the first things that an insurance company will ask for is the police report. This is because, as we discussed above, the report contains a vast amount of information pertaining to the car accident.
Sometimes the insurance company and police officer’s opinions are different. This is why there are times when the police report is in your favor in terms of a fault determination, but the other driver’s insurance company still denies your insurance claim.
Learn more about the role of insurance in a car accident case.
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How To Access Your Police
Members of the public have the right to request records containing their personal information from the Ontario Provincial Police or a municipal police service. Individuals who make these requests may have, for example, played a role in a suspected offence, been involved in a call for service or some other police-attended incident or had a relative who died in circumstances that led to the involvement of a police service.
Someone else, such as a lawyer or other person acting on your behalf, may make the request for you, or you may do so yourself. You may file a request by submitting a form and paying a fee, either by mail or in person.
Commonly requested records include:
- officers notes and
- police-related 911 calls.
Many people think that they cannot request a police officers notes, but a police notebook is generally in the custody or control of the police service and is subject to freedom of information requests.
Requesting information from a police service follows the same process as asking for records from other types of government institutions. However, the nature of police-held information means that frequently some of these records or some passages within these records are exempt from disclosure under Ontarios access to information legislation.
In all cases, if you disagree with a police services decision to deny your access request in whole or part, you may file an appeal with our office.
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Importance Of Police Reports
As previously stated, police departments in every city are there to provide aid to citizens who are responsible for reporting crime by way of filing police reports.
Police reports are a way to document incidents, both large and small. They help identify perpetrators of crimes so that officers can stop them and any further crimes. Reports help keep both citizens and the police department accountable for public safety.
For cases involving vehicles, accident police reports are helpful when filing insurance claims, identifying the party at fault and keeping city roads safe.
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Hamilton And Niagara Region Collision Reporting Centres
Collision reporting centre Niagara Falls : Contact InformationCollision reporting centre Welland : Contact InformationCollision reporting centre St. Catharines : Contact Information Collision reporting centre Hamilton Central : Contact Information Collision reporting centre Hamilton East : Contact InformationCollision reporting centre Hamilton Mountain : Contact Information
Are Police Reports Admissible In Court
While police reports are commonly used in car insurance settlement negotiations, admitting a police report as evidence when you file a car accident lawsuit is not quite as clear cut.
In small claims courts, litigants are usually permitted to use police reports as evidence in their car accident case. You will not be expected to know all the rules of evidence, so judges typically will allow plaintiffs and defendants to use the police report in explaining what happened.
If your car accident case goes to trial in your state’s court of general jurisdiction , you should know that parties in these cases are held to the rules of evidence and must contend with whether the police report falls within the rule against “hearsay” evidence, which keeps out many out-of-court statementsby definition, any assertion made in a police report is a statement that was made out of court. In some jurisdictions, the police report may fall within the “public records” or “business records” exception for admissibility. In other jurisdictions, different exceptions to the hearsay rule may apply and allow you to admit some or all of the police report as evidence.
If the police report isn’t helpful to your position, or if there are early signs that the other side is digging in for a fight, having an attorney on your side can be critical. Learn more about how a car accident attorney can help, and get tips on finding the right injury lawyer for you and your case.
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Report A Tip Or Crime
If the incident you wish to report is an emergency or crime in progress, please call 911.
It is the mission of the South Bend Police Department to deliver professional, effective services, fairly and ethically, at all times, to all people, in order to prevent crime, control crime, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents and visitors.
Michiana Crime Stoppers was established to create a partnership between law enforcement and the community to prevent and control crime. If you are aware of a crime or wanted person in your community, you are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1 342-STOP, or 288-STOP. Hours are Monday through Friday between 7 am and 3 pm.
When leaving information, you can remain anonymous or leave contact information for follow up opportunities.
You may ask yourself, “Why should I get involved?” The answer is simple. Calling 288-STOP helps stop crime and enhances the overall quality of life of everyone in your community by getting criminals, who target innocent people, off the streets. It also helps hold offenders accountable for their actions.
You can safely and anonymously submit your crime tips in several convenient ways:
- Long distance, call 1 342-STOP and talk on the TipLine
- Enter a tip on Crime Stoppers website or P3 Tips
1 342-STOP and 288-STOP are anonymous tiplines.
Filing A Police Report For Fraud
After reporting the matter to the FTC, call your local police and tell them you’d like to file a fraud report. Ask them if it’s possible to do so in person at the station. If not, ask how you can file by phone or online and take notes on their instructions. If you go into the station to file, bring a copy of your FTC report and any supporting documentation, such as your bank statements or correspondence you may have received from the thief or companies the thief has dealt with. Fill out the forms given to you by the police and ask them to attach the copy of the FTC report to your police report.
Ask for a copy of your police report. Hold on to your report as proof of fraudulent activity on your accounts and credit report. If the police cannot offer you a copy of the police report, as is the case in some jurisdictions, have the officer sign your FTC complaint form and list the police report number in the “Law Enforcement Report” portion of the complaint form.
If your local police are unwilling to take a fraud report, try filling out a Miscellaneous Incident report. Then contact your state’s attorney general to see if your state requires local police to take fraud reports. Your state’s attorney general may also have a special task force to combat fraud, and his office may be able to refer you to another jurisdiction, such as the state police, to file your report. Read More:Procedure for Filing a Police Report
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Accidents With Less Than $2000 Damage But Still Are Required To Be Reported
There are certain instances where you are still need to report an accident, even if there is less than $2,000 damage :
- A crime was committed impaired driving, stolen vehicle, etc.
- There is an injury
- A vehicle is transporting dangerous goods
- The accident involves a government vehicle
- The driver is uninsured or doesnt have a license
- There is damage to private property
- The accident involved a pedestrian or cyclist
Complaints About Police Officers
If you have experienced police misconduct:
- Contact the law enforcement agency involved.
- Submit your complaint in writing to the chief of police or the head of the law enforcement agency involved.
- Send a copy of your complaint to the Internal Affairs Division of the law enforcement agency. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.
If the problem remains unresolved, learn how to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Finally, as with any potential legal dispute, you may want to contact a licensed attorney.
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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.
Do You Need A Copy Of A Police Report
Using the links below, download a copy of the request form. Submit the completed form either by mail or by hand delivery to:
Long Beach Police Department Long Beach, CA 90802 ATTN: RECORDS DIVISION
The processing time for your report will vary depending on the incident. On average, the turn around time for your report will be three weeks.
- Application For Release of Traffic Collision And/Or Crime Report / Incident Information Long Beach Police Department will charge a $23.00 fee for copies of reports. The fee will be charged for copies of all types of reports: incident reports, arrest reports, traffic collision reports and information-only reports. Victims will be exempt from the report request fee.
- Additional Property Loss Form
- Civil Harassment Restraining Order Information
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