Requesting Records

You can make a request for an initial police report, a collision report or a clearance letter without going through a public disclosure request.  These reports do not include more than a basic narrative and a few supplemental reports.

• Who can request these reports? - Involved parties. (Victims, complainants and their legal representatives.)

• How quickly can I receive this report?  - Approximately 5-7 business days after an event.

• Who do I contact to get these reports?  - The Public Request Unit

Most Public Records Act (PRA) requests are handled through a public disclosure request.

• Who can request these reports? - Any involved party or third party requestor can make a public disclosure request.
• How quickly can I receive a public disclosure request?  -  The City must make a preliminary response within 5 business days.  The response may be to provide the records, but may also be to indicate a time frame within which the City may reasonably fulfill the request or provide an installment schedule. (Note: Over the past few years, SPD has experienced an unprecedented increase in the volume and complexity of PRA requests it receives. SPD responds to each request within the timeframe that reasonably and fairly allocates resources to that request.)
• What can I request through public disclosure? - A public record is any record relating to the conduct of Seattle Police Department business which is prepared, owned, used, or retained by the Seattle Police Department. You can request the following, including but not limited to:
  • Incident reports
  • Videos/Audio
  • Calls for service
  • Photographs
  • Witness Statements

Who do I contact to make a public disclosure request?

Records Request Center

All legal records requests are handled by the SPD Legal Unit. The type of requests include: Criminal Subpoenas Duces Tecum (SDT), Civil Subpoenas Duces Tecum (SDT), Infraction Discovery Requests (IDR), and Preservation Requests (PR).

• Who can submit these requests?
  • Criminal SDT: defense attorneys, their paralegals or investigators, defendants acting pro se.
  • Civil SDT: petitioner’s or respondent’s attorneys, petitioner or respondent if acting pro se.
  • IDR: defendant’s attorney or defendant if acting pro se.
  • PR: defendant’s attorney or defendant if acting pro se.
• How quickly can I receive my records? Due to our current workload and staffing, the Legal Unit requires a minimum of 6-8 weeks to research and respond to all legal requests.
• Do I have to use the Records Request Center? The Legal Unit will still accept SDTs, IDRs, and PRs that are mailed, faxed, emailed, and hand-delivered to our office. However, we will input all requests into the Records Request Center and respond within the Records Request Center. To eliminate delays in receiving/processing your requests, we highly encourage submitting your request directly through the Records Request Center.

If you are submitting a Criminal SDT, Civil SDT, IDR or PR you can use the Records Request Center to make a legal records request.

Records Request Center

The Seattle Police Records Request Center allows you to:

• submit requests
• track your request
• make payments online
• send messages
• download your records
• manage your profile

The benefits to the online system is that it generally costs less to receive your records, there is no need to make a trip to Police Headquarters, you will receive frequent communications and updates on status of your request, and it is easier to contact the Police Department about your request.

The Records Request Center is powered by GovQA.  

In Person:

You may make a walk-in request at Seattle Police Headquarters Front Counter Services, during business hours.  You can file a public information request or public disclosure request in person. 

Information Already Available:

Many police datasets and reports are already available online for the public.