For all information requests, you MUST provide us with a POSTAL MAILING ADDRESS. We do not fax or e-mail information back to you.
We do not accept prepayment; do not send cash, checks or money orders with your request. You will be charged according to the provisions of sections 2-98 through 2-100 of the Houston Code of Ordinances.
Open Records requests may be sent by e-mail to hpd.openrecs@cityofhouston.net (Please note: this e-mail address is only for Open Records requests. General inquiries sent to this address will not be processed. If you have a general inquiry or question, please see this page for instructions on how to contact the correct division. Please do not include attachments with your e-mail; we are unable to open attachments.) You may also send Open Records requests by U.S. Mail to the Public Affairs Division/Open Records Unit, Houston Police Department, 1200 Travis, Houston, TX 77002, or by fax to 713-308-3260. Please remember to include your return postal mail address - we do not fax or e-mail information back to you, we send our responses via U.S. Mail. You will be charged according to the following schedule: Charges for Providing Copies of Public Information.
Below is a list of the most commonly requested reports and how to order them. Please read the instructions carefully before submitting a request.
CRIME STATISTICS/ UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS (UCR)
This is a statistical report that provides the number of criminal offenses in a specific predefined geographic area. The available areas are police patrol beat, police district (a group of patrol beats), census tract, and citywide. (Maps of the patrol districts and patrol beats are available on the Crime Statistics page of this website.) To order this report, you MUST give us:
1. The geographic area; patrol beat, district, census tract, or citywide.
If you know the beat, district or census tract number, please provide it. Otherwise give us a specific address inside the area and we will determine the appropriate beat, district or tract number.
2. The time period. These reports are available from January, 1984 through the last full month. You may order these reports by month, several months within one calendar year or by year.
LOCATION INQUIRY / CALLS FOR SERVICE REPORT
This report is an actual list of the calls for police service from a specific address or specific block numbers. To order this report you MUST give us
1. The exact address or list of block numbers and street names. (For example, 501 Sequoyah or the 500 to 700 blocks of Sequoyah.)
2. A time period within the last two years. (For example, "January 1, 2004 to present" or "June 1, 2003 to May 1, 2004." Or, simply, "the last two years.") We only have active information for the last two years.
A location inquiry for one (1) address may also be ordered in person at the Records Division counters on the 1st floor of the Police Headquarters Building at 1200 Travis.
ACCIDENT REPORT
This is The Texas Peace Officers' Accident Report form (ST3) filled out by a Houston Police Officer and filed with the Department of Public Safety. (Accident reports require 5 to 8 days processing time before they are available to the public).
Accident reports are maintained by the Houston Police Department, Records Division. Accident reports can be obtained by sending a check or money order for $6.00 plus .43 cents postage & handling (or a stamped, self-addressed envelope) made payable to the City of Houston and mail to: HPD, Records Division, 1200 Travis, Houston, TX 77002.
You must provide at least two of the following:
Date of accident.
Location of accident.
Name(s) of individual(s) involved.
It is also very helpful if you have identifying information about the driver(s) such as their date of birth, driver's license number and/or Social Security number. If you have the incident number provided by the investigating officer, please list that as well.
The accident report can also be ordered in person at the Record's Division counters on the 1st floor of the Police Headquarters Building at 1200 Travis.
If you have any questions regarding obtaining a copy of your accident report, please contact the Records Division at 713-308-8585.
OFFENSE/INCIDENT REPORTS
This are investigative report(s) created by police officer(s) regarding a criminal offense. It is also referred to as an "arrest report" by other agencies. To be clear, please ask for an offense report. To order an offense report you MUST give us as much information about the incident as possible in order to locate the report. Please provide all of the following that you have:
1. The HPD offense or incident report number
2. The Harris County criminal case number
3. The names of the complainants, suspects, witnesses/and or reportees, with identifiers such as race, sex, dates of birth, drivers' license numbers, social security numbers, HPD numbers and/or SPN numbers.
4. The type of offense
5. The exact address of the offense
6. The date of the offense
7. The names of the investigating officers and employee numbers
The public information page (or "page one") of the offense report may be ordered in person from the Records Division counters on the 1st floor of the Police Headquarters Building at 1200 Travis. A public release report contains a brief summary of the crime, the complainant's name and address and the names of the first investigating officer(s). Suspect information is not listed.
Multiple public information pages or copies of the complete offense report(s) must be ordered from the Public Affairs Division. Full offense reports may not be available for public release, depending on case status and the opinion of the State Attorney General.
CRIMINAL HISTORY REPORT / RAP SHEET / ARREST RECORD
This report is the list of the arrests of an individual by the Houston Police Department. This report is available ONLY to the PERSON WHO WAS ARRESTED. To order this report you MUST:
1. COME IN PERSON to the Identification Division on the 10th floor of the Police Headquarters Building at 1200 Travis. You MUST BRING SOME FORM OF PICTURE IDENTIFICATION. You will be fingerprinted and fill out a request form while on the 10th floor. (The Identification Division is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on weekdays. The phone number for the Identification Division is 713-308-3000.)
2. The request form and your criminal history will be forwarded to the Public Affairs Division for processing.
If it is impossible for you to come in person to the Houston Police Department (for example, you live out of state or out of the country) you MUST
1. Go to your local law enforcement agency and have them prepare a fingerprint card for you.
2. Mail the fingerprint card and a copy of your picture identification to the Public Affairs Division at the address listed above.
Remember, the Houston Police Department does not have information on arrests made by other agencies. If you were arrested by another agency (for example, the Harris County Sheriff's Department, the Jersey Village Police Department, the Department of Public Safety) you MUST go to that agency for records.
JAIL ARREST RECORD / COMPUTERIZED BLOTTER SHEET
This is the computer record of the blotter, the form an arresting officer fills out when a prisoner is booked into one of our holding facilities. To order a copy of the jail arrest record, you MUST give us
1. The month, day and year of the arrest.
2. The full name and date of birth of the person arrested. The race, sex and social security number of the arrested person are also helpful.
3. If you have the offense report number and/or type of offense, please include them with your request.
You may ask for more than one jail arrest record for an individual, but you MUST provide the full date (month, day and year) for each arrest.
NEW:HPD Beat Map (pdf file): Printable document showing HPD beats and districts and locations of HPD stations and storefronts.
