You request a copy of an LAPD traffic collision report from LAPD’s Records and Identification Division, either online or by mail, by providing the report number along with the date, location, and names of the people involved. If LAPD was not the agency that actually investigated your crash, such as one that happened on a freeway or in a neighboring city, the request goes to that agency instead.
Who Can Request a Traffic Collision Report in California?
Only a defined list of people can get a copy of an LAPD traffic collision report, not the general public. Vehicle Code Section 20012 keeps these reports confidential, except that the agency that received the report shall disclose the entire contents of the report to any person who may have a proper interest therein, including, but not limited to, the people listed below. That disclosure is something the department must do, not something it may choose to do.
That list includes the driver or drivers involved, the guardian or conservator of a driver, the parent of a minor driver, or the authorized representative of a driver, any named person injured in the accident, the owners of a vehicle or property damaged in the crash, persons who may incur civil liability, including liability based on a breach of warranty arising from the accident, and any attorney who declares under penalty of perjury that they represent one of those people.
Does the report decide who was at fault?
A collision report records facts and sometimes a citation, but fault for your claim is worked out separately, not simply declared on the form.
How Do I Get a Copy of a Car Accident Report in Los Angeles?
You request a copy of a traffic collision report from LAPD’s Records and Identification Division, which handles these requests for crashes LAPD investigated. LAPD’s published request list asks for several pieces of information: the type of report, your name, address, and phone number, the report or incident number if you have it, your date of birth, the names of the people listed in the report, the date, time, and location of the crash, the license plate number and state of registration of the vehicles involved, and your interest in the report, such as being an involved party, an authorized representative, an insurance company, or a parent or guardian, along with any release forms or proof of relationship that applies. The request also needs a signed declaration that the information in it is true and correct.
LAPD’s own page publishes two ways to request a copy: online through the portal it links to, or by mail to the Records and Identification Division’s Document Processing Unit. Reports that involve an arrest, a fatality, or a juvenile, and reports issued before February 1, 2016, cannot be released online and must be requested through United States Mail. LAPD can change this process, so confirm the current method with Records and Identification before you send anything.
Does LAPD or CHP Handle a Freeway Accident?
LAPD only has a report if LAPD was the agency that actually investigated the crash, and a freeway accident usually is not LAPD’s case. LAPD patrols the surface streets within the city of Los Angeles, while the California Highway Patrol generally handles crashes on the freeway system, so a freeway accident report usually has to be requested from CHP instead.
The same issue comes up off the freeway. A crash in a different city, such as Burbank, Santa Monica, or Long Beach, is usually investigated and held by that city’s own police department, but not every city runs its own department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also provides police services under contract to a number of incorporated cities, in addition to covering the unincorporated parts of the county, so the report may come from a Sheriff’s station instead. If you are not sure who responded, the agency name on whatever paperwork or card you were given at the scene is the fastest way to tell who to ask before you submit a request anywhere.
What Should I Do if My Traffic Collision Report Has an Error?
Start by reading the report closely and comparing it against what you remember: names, dates, the location, vehicle descriptions, and the diagram of how the crash happened. If something in it is wrong, contact the agency that wrote the report, in most cases LAPD’s Records and Identification Division, and ask about its process for correcting a factual error or adding a supplemental statement to the file.
Not every disagreement gets changed. A clerical mistake, like a misspelled name or wrong address, is usually straightforward to fix, while the officer’s own narrative or professional assessment of how the crash happened is not something the department is likely to rewrite just because you disagree with it. If the error matters to your claim, keep your own records, photos, medical documentation, and witness contact information, so the report is not the only account of what happened. A car accident lawyer can tell you whether a specific error is worth pursuing and how to raise it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take LAPD to release a traffic collision report?
LAPD does not promise a release date. Its own page asks requesters to allow a minimum of 45 days from the date of the collision before trying to obtain the report online, and another LAPD page tells people to expect a minimum two month delay, so a report requested in the first days after a crash is usually not ready rather than missing. Calling the Records and Identification Division directly is the most reliable way to check on a specific report’s status.
Do I need a police report to file a car accident claim?
A police report is not legally required to file a car accident claim in California. Insurance companies often treat it as useful evidence of what happened, but a claim can still move forward on other evidence, such as photos, witness statements, and medical records, when no report exists or the report is incomplete.
What if I don’t have the report number?
You can still ask LAPD to look up a traffic collision report without the report number. Providing the date, approximate time, location of the crash, and the names of the people involved is generally enough for records staff to search for it, though a report number speeds up the search when you have one.
If you are not sure which agency has your report, or how to address an error in one once you get it, a car accident lawyer can make those calls for you. We work on a no fee unless we win basis, and we do not charge case costs if there is no recovery. Call 310-600-7881 for a free case review, or send us the details and we will call you back.
