Check Your Police Record

First define which police record you want to check

A report about one police incident, a state criminal-history summary and an FBI Identity History Summary answer different questions. For one event, identify the police department, incident date, location and report number. For your broader history, choose the state repository or FBI personal-review route. A court’s judgment is another document again; an arrest narrative does not establish the prosecution’s final outcome.

The U.S. Department of Justice directs requests for state or local police and court records to the state or local government maintaining them. Sending a general federal FOIA request is not a shortcut to a city’s incident file. If you do not know the agency, use the incident location and any paperwork you received to identify its records office.

Make a local request the records office can locate

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  Describe the exact report, date range and incident, include the reference number if known, and say whether you need an ordinary copy or an official letter. Ask which identifying documents, fee, delivery option and authorization apply to that local service before submitting. Since no city or state is specified here, there is no single local police-copy price or response period to quote.

Access can depend on the document and requester. As one state example, North Carolina’s courts explain that police reports should be requested from the investigating agency, but a complete report may not be public and may instead be available through criminal discovery. A public incident summary does not imply access to every witness statement or investigative attachment.

Use fingerprints to review your FBI summary

The FBI offers direct electronic and mailed Identity History Summary requests, as well as approved channelers. Its direct fee is $18 per person, with fingerprint collection or channeler fees potentially extra. This summary is based on information submitted to the FBI, including arrests and dispositions when supplied; it is not a collection of every local police narrative.

For a mailed request, complete the signed application, obtain a current fingerprint card with all ten rolled and plain impressions, and include payment. Mail to FBI CJIS Division–Summary Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306. The FBI accepts its card on white paper; old processed prints are not reusable. No name-only FBI summary check is offered. Pay by the FBI credit-card form or an $18 money order/certified check to Treasury of the United States; cash, personal checks and business checks are not accepted.

Know how the FBI result arrives

The FBI currently posts online processing within 48 hours after electronic fingerprints at a participating U.S. Post Office, approximately ten days after a mailed fingerprint card arrives, and up to 15 days for a mailed application; allow postal transit separately. It does not sell faster direct processing. An electronic application still needs fingerprints before the request can be completed.

Electronic requests receive an electronic response with a mail option. Individuals cannot order the special certified copies reserved for law enforcement. If a recipient needs authentication or an apostille, follow the FBI’s authentication guidance and the recipient’s requirements. A channeler may serve only eligible U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents in the United States or its territories and cannot process employment/licensing requests through the personal-review channel.

A state personal-review request has its own rules

California illustrates the difference: its DOJ allows individuals to obtain their own summary for accuracy review, but does not process third-party personal-review requests. California residents use Live Scan with form BCIA 8016RR marked Record Review; the state processing charge is $25, with capture fees separate. Out-of-state applicants use the mailed application and fingerprint-card instructions. Other states set their own procedures. California excludes visa, immigration and other foreign-country transactions from this personal-review product.

Ask a licensing or employment organization which authorized service it requires before purchasing a self-review product. Keep the original purpose and geographic coverage attached to each response. A local “no record” answer, an FBI no-arrest-data response and a state summary cannot be substituted for one another merely because each looks like a background-check result.

Correct the entry rather than repeating searches

Compare your report with the underlying agency and court records. For an FBI challenge, identify the inaccurate or incomplete entry and include available supporting documents such as a court disposition. The FBI charges no challenge fee and gives an average response time within 45 days of receipt. Questions can go to [email protected] or 304-625-5590.

California sends form BCIA 8706 with a personal-review response containing criminal information; submit that form with the report and evidence supporting the claimed error. For a local report or another state’s history, use that custodian’s review procedure. Keep your request, response and proof of the correction. Silence in a different database does not correct the original entry or show that a court sealed it.