Texas Police Records Now Retrievable Online

By Claire Dowell


It is easy for the public to gain access to public records such as incidence report, arrest and crash report. The Freedom of Public information Act guarantees the public access to reports without having to explain the reason for the request. However, there are some reports that are restricted from the public by the nature of the case. One example is the Texas police reports. The initial reports are available for the public; however, the subsequent reports, evidence and trial are not available for public view until such time when the case reaches a conviction, someone is arrested or a grant is made. These reports are available from the Record division of the police or local enforcement agency.

Each county or city has their own guidelines or step by step process to make the request easier. In Houston for example, the Open Records Office division is tasked with keeping all incident reports and a person requesting can send their letter of request either by fax, e-mail or standard mail. The Office will send the report requested via standard mail and as such, the person requesting should indicate their mailing address in the request form. Fees for the request depend on the number of pages and additional fees might incur for postage and the amount of time it takes to process the records.

For people who want to look for the records themselves, they may do so by visiting the Records Division in person. The person requesting should include all pertinent details of the case to make the search faster. One must specify that the records they want is for public information only as not indicating this especially for ongoing cases will cause the request to be sent to the Office of the Attorney General for clearance. The processing for such request would then take about two months.

In El Paso, Texas, police reports are obtainable from the Records Division office. The records division is open at six in the morning until midnight and seven days a week. All requests should be made in writing though submission via mail or in person. Request should include the case number, date and location, name of the complainant and victim. Fees are collected at the time the person will pick up the copy. Each page costs about $.10 for the first 50 pages. Additional charges will apply in excess. For reports to be sent through US mail, the person requesting the report should include $1.50 for the fee. Payments can be made in cash, cheque or money order.

For Texas City, police reports are made available from the Texas City Criminal records and Identification Division. Fees for basic public information offense report are about $4 as well as accident and background or arrest report. Provide the case or incident report number as well as the parties involved. Page one or public release reports are available and can be ordered directly in person from the Records Division. The report contains basic information on the case. Requests for full report depend on the status of the case and might not be available for the public.

On the other hand, police reports in Austin can be requested from the Main Police Headquarters. Reports cost about $10 for every page although only the public part or portion is made available to the public. The reports are also accessible from the APD incident report database. Some local enforcement agencies also make available their police reports online to make it accessible for residents or the public. Other ways to obtain police reports are through search database, which provides search services of public records or vital records.




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