Government > City Departments/Offices > Police > Obtaining a Police Report

The Annapolis Police Department Central Records division collects and maintains all incident reports filed by Police and Parking Enforcement Officers. In 2007, Central Records processed in excess of 7,000 incident reports and supporting documentation.

Based on the circumstances of a particular call, an officer may issue you one of two incident identifiers:

Event Number (YYMMDD-XXXX) - An event number is assigned to ALL calls for service, whether dispatched by the APD Communications Center or generated by an officer on patrol. This incident identifier is issued in circumstances where a full police report is not necessary but the officer needs to provide the parties with a formal record of his or her response. Minor destruction to private property or hit-and-run vehicle collisions with no suspect information often fall into this category. An event number is useful for insurance reporting purposes and for personal records. A FORMAL REPORT IS NOT WRITTEN WHEN AN EVENT NUMBER IS ASSIGNED AND CENTRAL RECORDS DOES NOT MAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION ON THESE INCIDENTS.

Case Number (YY-XXXXXX) - An officer will issue a case number in instances where agency policy dictates that an incident report be written. The officer will provide you with the case number for your records. The case number will allow you to obtain a copy of the report if you wish to do so and serve as a means of further investigation or follow up if such actions should be necessary.

Please be aware that, after an officer has written the incident report, it must be approved by several supervisors in the officer's chain of command before ultimately being forwarded to Central Records where it is available for public release. This process may take seven (7) to ten (10) days and reports are NOT AVAILABLE to citizens prior to this time. Please contact Central Records at 410-268-9000 or via e-mail at ntstaudinger@annapolis.gov to determine whether a report is available for release.

Reports can be obtained at the Annapolis Police Department Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:30 P.M. A $5.00 check or money order is required at the time you request the report - NO CASH IS ACCEPTED. Reports can also be obtained by mail by sending a written request, along with a $5.00 check or money order and a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope, to:

Annapolis Police Department
ATTN: Central Records
199 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401

If you have the case number that was assigned to your incident, please enclose it with your mailed request or present it at the station when you arrive. If you do not have your case number, please be prepared with the following information:

1. Approximate date and time of the incident
2. Location of the incident
3. Officers name (if known)

While we cannot guarantee that we will be able to locate a particular incident without a case number, we will make every effort to assist you in obtaining the report based on the information that you provide.