Records Unit
The Front Desk is open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Records Unit operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year with a staff of 12 Records Specialists and three Supervisors. The Records Unit processes the crime reports written by police officers and ensures that the reports are routed to appropriate locations such the Bureau for further investigation, and the District Attorney's Office for prosecution. Data from the records management system is stored and used for mandatory reporting requirements to the state and federal governments and for crime prevention or investigation purposes. It is not uncommon for the Records Unit to process 15,000 police reports and 8,000 moving and mechanical citations annually.
Employees in this unit assist the public at the front counter, answer the main telephone line and conduct prisoner searches on female prisoners. The Records Specialists assist officers on the radio and provide them with informatiion necessary to effect an arrest or conduct an investigation. The Records Specialist must use a number of different databases to search for information on vehicles and persons stopped by law enforcement. Their responsibilities require them tio have the ability to do several tasks at once in a quick and efficient manner.
The Records Unit processes requests for police reports or crime data from a wide variety of requestors. This includes the law enforcement - legal community, insurance companies, crime victims, the press, and members of the public with a legal right to the information and in response to legal subpeonas.
If you would like a copy of a police report, please use the the Information Request Form available here (PDF). You can return the form to the Santa Clara Police Department by fax, mail or in person.
Record's FAQ
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