Police Reports

What is the name of your state? IN

are police reports public knowledge? What happens to a report if it requested not to go to the prosecutor after being reported?

Note: no charges were brought about from said police report.

The only reports that go to the prosecutor are ones that have charges accompaning them. Other reports sit in a records division for the next eon. All the information on a police report is not public knowledge. You can purchase a copy of the report but will get the public version (or should). It will have the narrative of what took place, thebasic information of who,what,where, and hopefully why - but it shouldn't contain personal phone numbers of the complainants or suspects for protection reasons.

Well, I was getting ready to say about the same thing, but I'll add that you can request a copy of the report. Do it in writing. Here's an example (or a "how to"). Look under police reports.


[url]http://www.indygov.org/ipd/services/citserv.htm[/url]


hmmbrdzz

After posting my question someone told me that you can only get a copy of a police report if you were an involved party, is this true? If I could rec'v a 'public copy' of the report as you are saying then this person would be incorrect, right?

Thanks for the link, I'll try it now.

Thanks Again, you made my day!

It would depend on the report. If being an involved party means you are the suspect or arrested person then you cannot get the complaints information. If you are the complainant than you cannot get tho other's info. Its for the protection of everyone involved. Say for example a parent (involved party) of a molested child bought a copy of the report and killed the suspect, finding out where they lived from the report...See where I'm going? Now here in Texas you can get all the information you could ever want and more if involved in an accident from the accident report. Which to me has never made sense. I've met quite a few ticked off drivers involved in accidents. So to shorten this, the answer technically should still be no to the info, with a case number or report number anyone can get a copy of a police report.

the police report is a public record and, as such, can be ordered by anyone for any reason. Yes, copies of reports can be edited to protect witnesses, juvenilles and other such parties, but any document held by a public official (of which the court clerk, police and judicial branch are a part) is open to the Public Records laws of your state.

If you are not a juvenille, about the only thing you can protect in the police report that has been filed is the name of any witnesses that may be compromised. Otherwise, you need to contact an attorney to find out your rights under your state's public records laws.

hexeliebe, what other kinds of documents are available besides police reports? Someone told me that if there is a file being kept on you ( and I think they were talking local,like city or maybe it was county) anyway I understood that any past or present arrests, phone taps, servalence, ect that is or was happening is available. Have you ever heard of this? if so would you reply with where i would go and what I would ask for? Thanks

Any information held by a government entity is available to you by making a freedom of information request.

For example, if you have property being condemed by the power company, the original condemnation order, any survey and/or appraisal, etc. regarding the property is available.

In the case of the things you discussed, there are certain things that may not be available such as wire taps and sealed grand jury indictments in preparation for charges being filed. But these can be revealed to your attorney through discovery.

The first step for you is to write to any and all city, state and county officials you believe are holding files containing information that relates to you asking for the files.

A statement such as "any and all files, letters, opinions, reports or other documentation whether written or electronic..." will cover most things.

You may be changed for copies of anything you find but this is legal and I would not argue but do get reciepts.