How to Get a Scottsdale Police Report or Court Record

Three Records People Confuse

“How do I get my report?” is one of the most common questions we hear, and the honest answer is: it depends which report you mean. In Scottsdale, three completely different documents get lumped together under that phrase, and each is held by a different office with its own request process. Send your request to the wrong place and you can lose weeks waiting on something that office does not even have.

This guide covers all three — a police incident report, a traffic crash report, and a court case record — so you can send the right request the first time. If your reason for wanting the record is a criminal case you are facing, read the last section first: there is usually a faster path than a public-records request. For what happens after an arrest, see our overview of what happens when you are arrested in Scottsdale.

Before you request anything, figure out which of these you actually need. They are not interchangeable, and no single office holds all three.

How to Get a Scottsdale Police Report

A Scottsdale police report is held by the Scottsdale Police Department Records Unit, and there are four ways to request one. Pick whichever is easiest for you:

• Online — submit a request through the SPD records portal at eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/pdrecordsrequest.
• In person — at the Police/Fire Headquarters (Lou Witzeman Public Safety Building), 8401 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. The records lobby is open Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
• By phone — call the Records Unit at 480-312-1999, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• By email — write to spdrecords@scottsdaleaz.gov.

It helps to have as much identifying information as possible ready: the report or departmental report (DR) number if you have it, the date and location of the incident, and the names of the people involved. A fee schedule applies to copies for most requesters; the department publishes current amounts on its records page, so confirm the cost there before you submit. If you are not sure which report number you need, the Records Unit can often locate it from the date and address.

Are You the Victim? One Copy Is Free

If you are the victim of a crime, Arizona law gives you a free copy. Under A.R.S. 39-127, a crime victim is entitled to one free copy of the police report and one free copy of any on-body camera (body-worn camera) recording connected to the offense. Tell the Records Unit you are the victim when you make the request. The department also gives priority to victims and to government entities, so identifying yourself as a victim can move your request forward faster than a general public request.

How Long Does a Scottsdale Police Report Take?

Longer than most people expect, so set your timeline accordingly. According to the department, general document requests currently face an 8 to 10 month backlog, and on-body camera footage runs a 12 to 14 month backlog. Requests are processed in the order they are received. Victims and government entities get priority, but even then the volume of requests is heavy.

That long wait is exactly why the timing of your request matters. If you need the report for a court deadline, an insurance claim, or a criminal case, do not assume it will arrive in a few days. Put the request in as early as possible — and if a criminal charge is involved, read the section below on discovery, because your attorney can usually obtain the same materials far faster.

How to Get a Scottsdale Crash or Accident Report

A car-crash report is not requested from the Records Unit — it comes from a separate online service. Scottsdale Police Department collision and accident reports are available through CARFAX at CrashDocs.org. To pull your report you will need:

• The last name of one of the involved parties;
• The date of the collision;
• The departmental report number (DR#) assigned to the crash; and
• A credit card for the copy fee.

One important caveat: CrashDocs delivers the crash report itself, but photos, 911 audio recordings, and any related incident reports are not on that site. Those are requested separately through the Scottsdale Police Department Records Unit using the same four methods described above. So a serious collision can involve two requests — the report from CrashDocs, and the extras from Records.

How to Get a Scottsdale City Court Record

Court records are held by the court, not the police, and Scottsdale City Court handles its own case files. If your case — a misdemeanor, a traffic matter, a city ordinance charge — was heard in Scottsdale, this is where the court’s record lives. There are two things you might want: to look up a case, or to get copies of documents from it.

Look up a case online

To check case status, charges, hearing dates, or dispositions, use the court’s online case lookup at the Scottsdale City Court eServices case lookup. This is the quickest way to see what is on the docket. For more on how the court works, see our page on Scottsdale City Court.

Request copies of court records

To obtain actual copies of documents from a case file, submit a records request online or complete the court’s records request form and deliver it in person (there is a lobby drop-box), by mail, by email, or by fax. The court does not accept records requests by phone. Standard processing is five to seven business days. A records request fee and a per-page copy fee apply; the court publishes current amounts on its records page, so check there before submitting. The court’s general phone number is 480-312-2442, though remember it cannot take the request itself over the phone.

The Free Statewide Case Lookup

If you are not certain which court handled a case, or you want a no-cost way to search, Arizona offers a free statewide tool. The Public Access to Court Case Information lookup, run by the Arizona Judicial Branch, covers most courts across the state. It will not always give you the full document images, but it is an excellent free starting point to confirm a case number, the court of record, and the current status before you pay for copies from Scottsdale City Court.

Your Rights Under Arizona’s Public Records Law

Arizona treats government records as presumptively public. Under A.R.S. 39-121, public records and other matters in the custody of any officer are open to inspection by any person during office hours. That is the legal backbone behind every request above: you do not need to be a party, a lawyer, or a journalist to ask for a public record.

There are limits. Parts of a report can be redacted or withheld — for example, an ongoing investigation, a juvenile’s information, victim identifiers, or other material protected by law. That is one reason a report can come back with sections blacked out, and why the release of records tied to an open case is sometimes delayed until the investigation closes. If a request touches an active criminal matter, expect that the public-records copy may be incomplete compared to what is later produced in discovery.

How an Attorney Gets Your Reports Faster

Here is the part that surprises most people who have been charged: if you are a defendant in a criminal case, you usually do not have to wait in the public-records line at all. Once a case is filed, Arizona’s criminal discovery rules require the prosecution to turn over the police reports, body-camera footage, lab results, and witness statements to the defense. Your attorney requests these through the court case — a completely separate channel from the Records Unit’s months-long backlog — and it is the route that actually gets you the complete, unredacted materials you need to fight the charge.

This is why, if you are facing charges, the smartest first move is often not a records request but a call to a lawyer. We obtain discovery as part of representing you, review it for problems with the stop, the search, or the evidence, and use it to build your defense — while a public request would still be sitting in the queue. If you think there may be an outstanding warrant tied to your case, start with our Scottsdale warrant search guide, then talk to a Scottsdale criminal defense lawyer about your options.