Salt Lake City Police Reports

Police reports form the foundation of many proceedings, from insurance claims to personal injury lawsuits. These important records facilitate the justice system as standardized documents with presumably objective information from trusted sources.

Because of how important and useful police reports are, one would think that everyone would know how to access them. Unfortunately, because no one really thinks about getting a police report until they need one, few people bother learning how.

Thankfully, sharing good information is part of what lawyers do, and that’s what we’re giving you. Welcome to the ultimate guide to Salt Lake City police reports.

How to File a Police Report in Salt Lake City

The primary means of filing a report with local law enforcement in Salt Lake City is through a phone call. In-person reports where a police officer fills out the report form have, for the most part, at least, been phased out in favor of more efficient methods.

To file a report via phone call, dial the SLCPD non-emergency phone line: 801-799-3000. For a smoother process, try to have all the details about the incident ready on hand.

When the police pick up, the dispatcher will ask you for your information as well as the details of the accident or incident you are reporting. Respond clearly and concisely, and answer any questions they have as honestly as you are able.

In some instances, you might be able to file your report anonymously. This gives you a level of privacy and protection but limits any follow-up the police can do regarding your report; for instance, if you later need the report for insurance purposes, you will have to provide information tying you to the event.

One final reminder is to NOT dial 911 to make a phone report. The 911 hotline is for emergencies only; that means it is for cases where a crime is in progress or where there is an immediate danger to people.

Who Can File a Police Report?

Police incident reports are generally considered public and can be requested through the public records office. The exception to this rule is that police reports on car crashes – car accident reports – are considered protected information.

That means they are subject to redactions and other forms of withholding information unless the requestor is one of the following:

• People directly involved: It’s understood that those who are affected by an accident or crime have a stake in understanding the details surrounding the event, usually for insurance purposes or legal proceedings.

• Parents and/or guardians of people involved with the event: Especially in the case of minors or individuals with special needs, some people cannot represent themselves in legal proceedings. In addition, parents and guardians can claim protected documents on behalf of accident victims if the latter are too injured to handle tasks on their own. 

• Legal agents of people involved with the event: It is the professional duty of legal agents to represent their clients in situations where their contract applies. This primarily concerns both lawyers and insurers, both of whom have reason to access protected information in order to do their jobs for their clients.

• Government agencies that deal with the report information: Government agencies exchange information on a regular basis in order to analyze statistics and improve policy. The assumption is that by accessing reports, these bodies contribute to the advancement of public safety.  

• Private investigators hired specifically to investigate the event: Licensed private investigators may represent those involved or may be hired by agents of those involved in an accident or incident. Insurance adjusters are an example of licensed investigators with access to such records.

• Members of the press: Some situations call for media involvement and, thus, access of the press to police records. However, media copies of reports typically have personal information redacted in order to protect the privacy of those affected.

What Information Should You Provide?

Here is some of the information you will want to provide when filing a police report:

• Basic Information: Provide the police with your name, contact details, and address. With the exception of anonymous reports, it is usually a good idea to leave an open line of communication so the police can contact you.

• Incident Details: Inform the police when and where the accident occurred. Provide as objective an account as you can from your perspective with as few assumptions and opinions as possible.

• People Involved: If known, give the names and descriptions of witnesses and suspects involved in the incident. If the report is for a road accident, you will probably have this information on hand, as it is a legal requirement to exchange information with other parties.

• Evidence: While this mostly applies to in-person reports, you should try to provide any supporting evidence to the police. Evidence can include photographs and recordings, receipts, and witness statements obtained with their permission.

What About Car Accident Reports?

Most automobile accident reports follow a different process compared to other reports. The biggest difference is that, generally speaking, most car accident reports are filed at the scene of the accident and in the presence of a responding officer.

Utah law requires law enforcement to submit police accident reports to the Department of Public Safety within ten days of completing their investigation into the accident. This investigation begins upon responding to the call, which is part of the reason why the law also requires drivers involved to remain at the scene.

The officer will then give you a temporary case number. Write this down or record it somewhere safe, as you will need it when you eventually ask for a copy of the report or if the police or DPS requests supplemental information for the case.

If you happen to misplace or lose your case number, you can still get a copy of your report, though you will have to provide the police with information about yourself and the accident itself, including the place, date, and time of the event.

For the most part, your only responsibility as far as filing the initial report goes is to provide the officer with your account of events. However, the DPS may later require additional information from the parties involved, in which case they will supply you with the necessary forms, which you will also have to submit to them within ten days of the request.

That said, there is an exemption to the rule regarding car accident reports. If your vehicle suffered damage in an accident but no one was injured, you may still file a report over the phone, in person at the SLCPD, or, as we will discuss in the next section, online.

A Special Case Involving Insurance

There are instances where your insurance provider may request a police report on your behalf as part of their investigative process for your claim. If this is the case, you should be able to request a free copy of your report from them, bypassing the usual fees involved.

Note that this does not mean your insurance provider acquires a copy of the report from the police for free. Rather, the fee for your report is considered an expense on their behalf as part of their services.

However, keep in mind that not all insurance providers might automatically request a copy of the report. Clarify things with your insurance provider or go over the details of your contract with your attorney to determine whether this applies to you.

Can I File a Police Report Online?

We mentioned that the primary means of filing a police report in Salt Lake City is via phone, but it is not the only means. Like most government agencies, the SLCPD shares information on how to file a police report on its website.

The SLCPD attempts to maintain ease of access no matter how large of a repository their site becomes. When you first arrive at the SLCPD home page, you will see a large yellow banner cutting across the center of your screen with a button telling you to click it to file a police report.

Clicking this will take you to the online police reporting portal.

The SLCPD Online Police Reporting Portal

The first thing you will notice on this page are notes regarding the filing process:

• All cases filed using the Citizen Online Police Reporting System will be reviewed.
• Upon review, if further investigation of your case is needed, you may be contacted.
• Filing a false police report is a crime.
• Only the categories listed on the page are reportable online. To request copies of other case reports, you must file a Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) request.

Scrolling down, you will find a list of categories for which you can file reports. Select the appropriate one to begin.

Upon selecting a category, the header will expand, revealing information regarding the report and a link to the report form. Read through this description and ensure that this is the report you want to file, then go ahead and click the link.

You will then be asked whether you want to file the report for yourself or for an employer, a government employee, or on behalf of your own business or organization. Select the appropriate choice and click continue.

The next segment will require you to provide your personal information. Fill out the fields as necessary, and ensure that at least one phone number is available for contact, as detectives assigned to the case will not follow up via email.

From this point on, the content of each type of incident report form will vary. For instance, the Hi-and-Run report will contain a section where you will be requested to provide information about vehicles, while the Theft report will instead have a section requesting information on the stolen property.

Regardless of whichever form you need to file, you will be given 30 minutes to accomplish everything before the online session expires. This limit exists as a security measure against unauthorized access and fraudulent reports, as well as a method of managing system resources on the portal.

At any point during the process, you may review and revise previous sections and even change the type of report you want to file. Doing so resets the 30-minute grace period.

When you’re done with the report, you’ll see a message letting you know it’s been submitted: “Your online police report has been submitted.” The police department will then review the report and assign a detective to your case.

Once the department accepts your report, they will provide you with a unique case number for future reference. You’ll also have the opportunity to get a paper copy of the report to keep for your documentation.

What About Filing a Report in Person?

While not explicitly stated on the website, you still have the option of filing a police report in person. The process takes place via the police department’s public-use computers found in the lobby of the Salt Lake City Police Department, located at 475 S 300 E, Salt Lake City.

The process is, in fact, exactly the same as filing a report online, as you will use these computers to access the SLCPD portal. However, filing a report at the police department means you may avail of assistance from an on-duty desk officer during the service desk’s open hours.

If you wish to file a police report in person, visit the department lobby during office hours from Monday to Friday between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Service desk assistance is available from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 12:00 NN to 4:00 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (closed on holidays).

How to Lookup a Police Report in Person

Once you’ve gone through the filing process, you will likely need a copy of the police report at some point in the future, whether for legal, insurance, or personal reasons. As before, SLCPD offers multiple methods of reviewing or obtaining copies of a report, the first of which is an in-person request.

To make an in-person GRAMA request, you must present a completed GRAMA form at the SLCPD service desk. You can also download and print the form at home or on the public-use computer at the SLCPD itself.

When submitting your form, you must include valid identification. Accepted forms of identification include your driver’s license, passport, Visa, permanent residence card, employment authorization card, weapons permit, and military ID.

In addition to these requirements, you will also need to pay a processing fee for each report you wish to claim. The cost is $10 for the first 50 pages per report and an additional $0.25  per page after that.

You can only apply for one report per request form. That means you will need to complete multiple forms if you wish to access multiple reports.

What if I Can’t Make It in Person?

If you’ve downloaded and filled out the GRAMA request form but cannot make it to the police department, you may submit the request via mail. Just as with in-person requests, you will need to provide a notarized copy of a valid identification document.

Mail your request to:

Salt Lake City Police Department

Service Desk

PO Box 145497

475 South 300 East

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Note that government offices do not consider driver privilege cards as identification. In addition to a driver’s privilege card, you are required to include two other current forms of identification from two separate categories listed below (Taken from the SLCPD site):

• Legal: Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers, vehicle titles, etc.

• Utility: Rocky Mountain Power, Qwest, Questar, etc. (No cell phone bills accepted)

• Photo ID: Sam’s Club, Costco, Work ID, School ID

• Bank Info: Checking statement, Savings account, credit card info

Again, you will have to pay the same fee of $10.00 per report up to 50 pages and $.25 per page after 50 pages. Remember not to include cash with your request; mailed-in requests are to include checks or cash orders ONLY.

How to Lookup a Police Report Online

Because you have to be on the website anyway to download the request form template, you may want to take advantage of the online portal instead of submitting a physical copy to the department. To do so, first, navigate to the SLCPD home page and click the blue bar beneath the Online Police Report banner.

Once you click the banner, you will be taken to the GRAMA page. This page contains much of the aforementioned information regarding how to make a request for a police report, including a button under the “requesting a police report” section that will take you to Salt Lake City’s public records portal.

To the left of the screen, you will see a menu with the option “submit a request” listed as the second item. Click this item, and you will be presented with four options: fire records, airport records, police records, and general city records.

Because we are looking for police records, click that box.

You will now be asked to log in to the portal, where you will be able to both make a GRAMA request and track the progress of any existing requests. If you do not yet have an account, you will need to create one in order to track and monitor public records requests.

Alternate Online Method

Some people may need other online methods of submitting a request for a police report. Reasons may range from the online portal being down or, sometimes, simply not wanting to add another account to an already bloated notebook of usernames and passwords.

For these people, an alternate method of looking up a report is by submitting a request through email. To do so, send the accomplished GRAMA request form to SLCRecorder@slcgov.com.

Police Report FAQs

Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding police reports in Salt Lake City.

What Is the Breakdown of Fees for a Request?

As mentioned above, police reports cost $10 for the first 50 pages per report and an additional $0.25 per additional page. The official Salt Lake City fee schedule (2023, p.31) documents that incident reports should not cost more than the fee charged by Utah for similar documents. 

How Long Does It Take to Process a Request?

The police department is legally required to provide a response within ten (10) business days after receiving a request. They must, within this time period, either provide the record, request additional information, notify you of unavailability, or deny the request as necessary.

Can My Request Be Denied?

Yes. However, the city government is required to state the basis for their denials.

In addition to this, you will be provided an explanation regarding any redacted information or exempted information, together with the appropriate statutory reference for said exemption.

Need Help With Your Salt Lake City Police Accident Report? Call Valley Law!

If you need assistance securing a police report for your claim, our personal injury attorneys at Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers are ready to pick up your case. After a quick case evaluation, we’ll get started with an investigation, gathering the evidence you need to back your claim and maximize your compensation.

And yes, that includes your SLCPD accident report.

Having Valley Law on your side means you’re backed by a team of seasoned experts with your best interests at heart. Work with us, and you have access to professional accident and injury lawyers who will stand by you from the beginning of the investigation all the way until you get your hands on what your case is worth.

Since our founding, Valley Law has secured over $100 million in compensation for our clientele. Lead attorney Brigham Richards has personally handled six-figure cases from car accidents to truck accidents to boating accidents and more.

Work with Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers today. We don’t get paid until we get you your settlement, so there is no risk to you and everything to gain.

Book a free consultation with us online, or contact us at (801) 810-9999.