How are police reports obtained, and how much do they cost?
Accident Reports, Incidents, and Crime Reports: can be obtained from the Records Bureau as soon as they become available. You may request the report in person, but reports take time to prepare; and we strongly recommend that you call ahead for a copy of a report so that we can have it available to you when you come in. If the report you are interested in obtaining is for insurance purposes or for a lawyer, you may prefer to have them request the report for you.
Accident Reports:
You may obtain a copy of an official Accident Report that the officer completed if you were an operator of one of the vehicles in the accident, or the owner of a vehicle involved in the accident, or an injured party, or an insurance company requesting on behalf of their clients, or attorneys representing clients in a civil action. Accident Reports are obtained from the NH Department of Safety – Division of Motor Vehicles by completing Form DSMV 505. For any assistance, please contact the Division of Motor Vehicles at (603)227-4040.
Incidents:
An incident sheet is a very brief description of calls that officers respond to. An incident sheet is typically one page of information that includes the date and time of an incident, the location, and the name(s) of officer(s) who responded to the scene. There is a $1 processing charge for the copy of an incident page.
Crime Reports:
A crime report is the Police Department’s more thorough investigation of an incident that has been reported. If you are the victim in a crime, you may call the police department at any time to check on the status of your case. Whether or not a report can be released depends mostly on its status. For example, if a case is under active investigation or pending court, details will not be made available to the public.
The cost for each Crime Report is $10 per copy up to ten pages and $1 each additional page after ten pages. If photos were taken at the scene, there is an additional charge; photos are not included in the cost of each report and must be requested separately. Any replication of any audio or videotapes will be charged $25 regardless of the type of tape that is reproduced.
If you are requesting a report for personal purposes and do not intend to be in the Derry area, you may make your request in writing. You will need to include your name and date of birth, the date of incident if known, the type of incident, and an address where you want the report mailed to you. You will want to include a phone number where you can be reached so we can call you if we have questions about your request. Payment must be enclosed. You may want to call first to verify the cost of the report you have requested before you send your request.
Arrest Reports/Discovery:
If you are calling to obtain a copy of your arrest report for a court date, there are two ways of obtaining a copy. You may either have your lawyer request the report or you may contact the prosecutor's office at police headquarters. If you are requesting a copy of your arrest report for yourself, you must do it in writing. The letter must be addressed to the Prosecutor (specify if the case is a Juvenile matter). In the letter, you need to provide the following information: your name and date of birth, the date of your arrest, the reason for your arrest, the court date that has been issued to you, and an address where you want the report mailed