Request a California police report

1. Find the agency and report details

   Check the incident card or correspondence for the police department, sheriff, or CHP office and report number. Gather the approximate date and location. If you do not know who investigated, ask the local agency which office holds the record.

2. Choose the correct records process

   Use the agency’s official records page. A victim’s copy of a crime report, a collision report, and a general public-records request are different routes. LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff publish their own procedures; those examples do not establish a statewide process.

3. Check eligibility, identification, and cost

   Read what the actual agency requires before sending identification or payment. Ask about any applicable free-copy entitlement. For CHP-investigated collisions, the official CHP 190 instructions explain requests by a party of interest and identification requirements; CHP cannot supply another agency’s collision report.

4. Submit securely and keep the receipt

   Use the agency’s listed portal, mailing address, or counter. Save the request, confirmation, and follow-up contact. Do not upload identification or an unredacted report to a public comment or video description. If access is restricted, ask the agency to explain its response and available review process.

This guide concerns obtaining an existing report. It does not file a new report, amend a report, or promise access to a complete investigative file.