So you need to get a police report, but how do you do it?
Each law enforcement agency has their own system of obtaining a police report. In Texas, you have to either be someone involved in the car accident or their retained attorney.
In Covington, Louisiana, for example, the police officer who investigates the accident scene will usually hand you a slip of paper called an “item number.” This will have a number you can use to locate the actual Uniform Crash Report. That’s what they call it in Louisiana when a police officer writes a detailed report after a vehicle collision.
The law enforcement agency usually needs a few days to actually complete the police report so you may have to wait just a bit before requesting the report.
From there, you can search online for the police department’s website and look for “request a police report” link. You will usually have to fill out a form of who you are an pay a fee of around $20.
Then, the department will usually email you a copy of the police report with any corresponding photos if they took them.
For example, the Covington Police Department website explains their process of requesting a police report.
Of course you can always call us if you have been in a car accident and we can do all of that leg work for you.
What’s in a police report?
The names of all drivers involved in the crash, their addresses and their insurance companies and policy numbers will be included. The police do not post your insurance coverage limits, however.
The office will also mark whether there were any observable defects in the car or road, and whether any of the drivers did anything improper or violated any traffic or other laws.
The officer will also note the road and weather conditions (is it dry, raining, etc.)
At the end of the police report will be a narrative of what each driver said and any witness statements. The officer will usually draw a diagram of the vehicles before and after the collision.
