How Do I Know What Transfer Case I Have

Are Police Case Numbers Open to the Public?

Generally, police case numbers are not open to the public. Since police officers make arrests and investigate crimes, but only courts charge people with crimes, police records are not part of the court system and open to the public as court records are, explains UC Berkeley Journalism.

Police Case Numbers

Any time the police are called to respond to an incident, they need to fill out a written report. The written report is then logged into the system, where a police case number is assigned to identify a specific incident. This number is organized and then stored in the police record system.

Types of Police Records

Law enforcement officials create a variety of records. While most of them are kept confidential, some are open to the public, as explained by UC Berkeley Journalism:

Police records usually not open to the public:

• Arrest reports: police officer records details about an arrest made
• Crime or incident reports: reports the details of an accident or crime as well as notes on a police response to a call made by a citizen for assistance

Police records usually open to the public:

• Arrest logs: names and some details about persons arrested by police officers
• Incident logs: accounting of calls for assistance made by citizens, investigations of accidents and reports of crimes
• Search warrants: a document that legally grants a police officer or other person the right to search a property
• Coroner's office reports: autopsy, interviews of persons close to the deceased and death certificates created when a person dies as the result of a possible crime

Police Report Online

When police case numbers are made public, they are usually available online. To find out if the police record you're looking for is available, visit the website of the police department involved. Each police department will keep its own records and provide or deny access to the public as it sees fit. Law enforcement officials will rarely if ever make information about juvenile offenders public and will not publish information that may endanger a victim or reveal their identity. Information about ongoing or sensitive crimes or criminal matters are generally not published online as well.

Can You Access a Police Case Number That's Not Public?

If you wish to obtain a copy of a police report, you can request one from your local police station. You will more than likely be asked to fill out a form called Request for Public Records. You may or may not be granted permission to view the records, depending on your involvement in the case or incident.

Sample Online Police Reports

The Davis Police Department in Davis, California, makes its incident and arrests logs available online so that citizens of Davis can have a greater awareness of the potential criminal activity in their town. Missing persons and stolen vehicles are also reported as part of these daily logs. Its interactive site allows the public to view crime activity in 24-hour increments related to auto thefts and tampering, alcohol-related incidents, animal-related calls, arson, assaults, burglaries, city code violations, disturbances of the peace, fire and medical calls, fraud and embezzlement, homicides, missing persons and runaways, narcotics-related incidents, noise complaints, robberies, sexual assaults, thefts, traffic violations, trespassing and vandalism. A list of most-wanted criminals is also posted as well as crime statistics.

The public can view details of each incident that include the type of incident, the police case number, address where the incident took place, and the dates and times the calls were made and the incident was closed.

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