Police Reports and Public Records Request Service Help

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What is the Police Reports and Public Records Request Service?

The Online Police Reports and Public Records Request Service is provided by the Vermont Department of Public Safety to allow citizens and businesses a means of paying for and requesting public records. Payment will be processed at the time of the online request. Any document resulting from the request will be shipped to in a timely manner. You should hear from the Department of Public Safety within 3 days of your order.

What is necessary to request a Public Record?

To request public records from the Department of Public Safety, you must provide either the Vermont State Police Case Number of the incident or the date of the incident along with the names of all parties involved and the type of incident. You must also have a valid credit card to pay for your request online.

Are there any benefits to requesting records by Case Number rather than Description?

You should use the Police Case Number whenever submitting a request. Having the Case Number will allow for a much quicker search and delivery of your record to you.

How do I obtain a Vermont State Police Case Number?

Contact the local Vermont State Police Station which handled the case and obtain the case number for the Incident. You may find out which local Vermont State Police Station handled the incident by using the Police Station Lookup Tool.

What is done with the information I submit?

All information you submit through the Police Reports and Public Records Request service is used solely to identify you as the requester of a record, and to identify the correct documents to return to you. We use this information solely for this purpose. For further informaton about the security and privacy of using this application, please refer to the Vermont.gov Privacy Policy and the Vermont.gov Security Policy.

How can I check on the status of my record request?

If you ordered your record online, you may check on the status of your order by clicking on the "Order Status" button in the green header bar at the top of this service. This link will lead you to the lookup the status of your order service. For more complex inquiries into the status of your order please contact the Department of Public Safety.

Are there any other means of requesting a record electronically besides the online service?

You may request public documents by mail by sending a letter to:

Vermont State Police
Attn: Report Requests
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671-2101

I've submitted my request, what happens next?

The records department confirms the receipt of your request and that the actual record exists. They then confirm that the investigation and report is complete. Once that is done, your record will be printed, redacted, and mailed.

When will I receive my requested record?

You should hear from the Department regarding your request within three days of your order. The timeframe to have your order shipped to you will vary depending on the complexity of your request, the number of Police Departments involved, and the time it takes to redact information. The Department will endeavor to keep you informed of the status of your order.

Why do you redact records?

Privacy law states that any information that if released would violate your right, or anyone else's right, to privacy must be redacted or removed when released.

I received a response, but it says that my report is considered an active, on-going investigation, what does this mean?

Usually this means there are parts of the investigation that need to be followed up on. We will not release the report as it may jeopardize our investigation.

The response I received said, the records I asked for are considred an exception to the Public Records law; I thought everything the State Police did was considered public.

There are a number of exceptions to Vermont's Public Record Law. For more information on these exceptions, please see: VSA Title 1, Section 317, Paragraph (c) 1-29.

Is using my credit card online safe?

Vermont state government takes Internet security very seriously. Our technology and policies are designed to make your online transactions safe, private and secure. Documented steps are taken to safeguard information according to established security standards and procedures and we continually evaluate the newest technology for protecting information.

Sensitive information passed in online transactions such as social security numbers, banking information, and personal data is confidential. Please refer to our privacy policy for details about the collection of information from visitors to state websites.

For more detailed information about the security policies utilized by Vermont.gov, please refer to the Vermont.gov Security Policy.

How will the charge show up on my credit card?

The charge for your request will appear on your credit card as "Vermont Government Services".

What is an Enhanced Access Fee?

The enhanced access fee covers the cost of data flow, reinstatment fee processing, and wire transfer costs. Any further questions regarding the enhanced access fee should be submitted to portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com.

Who do I contact if I'm experiencing technical difficultes?

All technical difficulties may be directed to the Vermont.gov help desk either by email at portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com or by telephone at (802) 229-4171.