Routine Police Freedom Of Information Act

Due to the volume of FOIA requests for police records, if you are seeking routine police records, please submit your written request to:

        City of Detroit Police Department Law Unit
        Coleman A. Young Municipal Building
        2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 500
        Detroit, Michigan 48226    

        Fax No.:        313-224-5505
        Email Address:     [email protected]
 

The following information is required to search for routine police records (described below):
    nature of the incident;
    date of incident and, if known, time of incident;
    address; and
    names of individuals involved in the matter.  

Without this information, your request may be denied as the Police Department requires such information in order to conduct a search for the record. 
Routine Police Records include:
        911 Audio Recordings;
        911 CAD Reports;
        Police Dash-Cam Videos;
        Simple Arrest Reports;
        Mug Shots;
        Police Incident Reports concerning:
            domestic dispute matters,
            simple assault and battery,
            theft; and
        Motor Vehicle Accident Reports.

Police records concerning the following matters are not routine:
        fatal accidents,
        critical injury,
        homicide,
        narcotics,
        gang related activities and incidents, and
        criminal sexual conduct.

Therefore, requests for these documents should be submitted to the FOIA Coordinator at the Law Department.

You may download a copy of the City of Detroit FOIA or City of Detroit Police FOIA forms to submit a FOIA request.  

Please note that failure to complete the form may result in a denial of the request.

FOIA Appeals:
All FOIA appeals are reviewed and signed off by either the Corporation Counsel or the Deputy Corporation Counsel.

Routine and simple Police FOIA requests are directly handled by the DPD Law Unit with assistance from the Law Department FOIA Section. 

• The following ARE routine and simple police FOIA requests:
  • Certain or specific police report with the DPD report number; and/or
  • Non-critical or non-fatal motor vehicle accident (MVA) reports;
  • 911 Audio Recordings-pertaining to MVA, domestic dispute, simple assault, and battery or theft
  • 911 CAD Reports-pertaining to MVA, domestic dispute, simple assault, and battery or theft
  • Police Dash-Cam Videos-pertaining to MVA, domestic dispute, simple assault, and battery or theft
  • Simple Arrest Reports
  • Mug Shots
  • Police Incident Reports concerning: domestic dispute matters, simple assault and battery or theft
  • Motor Vehicle Accident Reports.

1. When submitting a FOIA request concerning police matters, you must sufficiently describe a public record so as to enable DPD personnel to find it.
   • Therefore, your FOIA request must contain the following information:
     • A description of the incident ;
     • Names of individuals who were involved in the incident;
     • Date of the incident;
     • Description of the record are you looking for; and
     • Location of the incident.
   • If you know which DPD unit, division, precinct or officer has the request record, please identify them.
   • If you have the police report number, please identify the report number.
   • The more descriptive and specific your request is, the easier it would be for a DPD personnel to search and to retrieve the requested record(s).
2. Your request should include the word "FOIA" or "FOIA Request".

Although no specific form is required to submit a FOIA request to the City of Detroit, The city has a DPD FOIA Request Form specifically for police records, for your use and convenience.

For convenience, you may also email the completed form or your written request, which provides sufficient information for DPD personnel to locate the requested record, to: [email protected].

Note: If the FOIA request is for medical records, such as ambulance or an EMS run sheets, compliance with both federal HIPAA regulations and the Michigan Medical Records Access Act is required.