How can I get a police report after a car accident in Denver?

Posted on June 18, 2019

Scroll down or go to the Records Unit and Identification Section website of the Denver Police Department (DPD). It explains the options for ordering police reports through the mail or online.

Note that if you have an attorney, the attorney can usually order these reports on your behalf.

Accident Reports

Unless a car accident in Denver involved a fatality or a Colorado hit-and-run crime (42-4-1601 & 42-4-1602 C.R.S.), you can order a police report of the accident from the DPD’s Record Unit. You have the option to mail in an order form or order the report online.

The accident report costs $10. In order to obtain a police report, you need to supply the following information:

• name
• email
• phone number
• address
• how you were involved in the incident
• date and time of the accident
• location of the accident
• report number (if available)
• names of the involved parties
• the reporting officer’s name (if available)
• license plate number and issuing state of the involved vehicle
• any additional identifying information about the incident (if available)

Accident reports are typically two pages, and insurance companies often require a copy in order to pay out a claim.

For more information about obtaining an accident report, call the DPD Records Unit at (720) 913-6755.

Investigation Reports

When a Denver car accident involved a hit-and-run or a fatality, then you may order an “investigation report” from the DPD’s Civil Liability Section. You have the option to mail in an order form or order the report online.

Investigation reports typically include:

• officer statements;
• witness statements;
• detective’s notes; and/or
• scanned images

Note that investigation reports are available only for completed investigations. For ongoing investigations, you may be able to obtain documents through discovery motions with the court. It is recommended you seek legal counsel in these situations to help you procure all the documents you are entitled to.

Investigation reports also redact the names of any:

• sexual assault victims; and/or
• juvenile suspects, victims, or witnesses

The cost is $15 for the first 10 pages and 25 cents for each additional page. You can also order additional media such as 911 calls and surveillance videos for extra fees:

CAD is short for computer-aided dispatch. The CAD Report is a typed summary of any 911 calls related to the accident. The CAD report is not a transcription.

The premises history report lists the Calls For Service (CFS) at certain locations over a certain time period of up to three years. These reports are not available for specific units, just for physical addresses.

DUI Room Video is footage of a DUI suspect who has been arrested and held at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Facility. This video is usually available for only 28 days.

H.A.L.O. is short for High Activity Location Observation. DPD video monitors certain HALO locations throughout the city, though the video is typically erased after 30 days.

For more information about obtaining investigation reports, call the DPD Civil Liability Section at (720) 913-6362  or email [email protected].

Injured in an automobile accident in Colorado? Learn more about our Colorado car accident personal injury attorneys.

About the Author

Neil Shouse

A former Los Angeles prosecutor, attorney Neil Shouse graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School (and completed additional graduate studies at MIT). He has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Dr Phil, Court TV, The Today Show and Court TV. Mr Shouse has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal and Top 100 Civil Attorneys.