Forms & Applications

Sidney Police Department Records Requests

Who can request a report:

Vehicle Incidents / Property Damage

• Named parties in the report (drivers, vehicle owners)​
• Insurance carriers
• Legal representatives of parties (Court-appointed guardians, parents of minors, etc. - documentation must be provided with request)
• Attorneys of parties

All Other Categories*

• Named parties in the report
• Legal representatives of parties (Court-appointed guardians, parents of minors, etc. - documentation must be provided with request)
• Attorneys of parties

         *Note: if there is active prosecution regarding the incident in the report, the report will not be released until the prosecution of the matter has concluded.

Document Requests NOT processed by the Sidney Police Department:

• Any reports outside of City limits or created by a different agency (Richland County Sheriff's Office, Montana Highway Patrol, etc.)

Document Requests will be returned or declined if:

• Returned (payment will not be accepted): no notary - notarize and return to Sidney Police Department for processing.
• Declined (payment will be processed and not refunded):  requestor not legally authorized to request, report not found, report not within the jurisdiction.

When making a document request, your request must contain the following:

1. Request form (below), completed for each separate incident request;
2. A notarized signature from the requestor stating the requestor is a named party in the report or is legally authorized to request it;
3. A $10 check or money order payable to the City of Sidney for non-refundable administrative charges for the search; and
4. Self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage for mailing of the items requested, unless you notify us in writing that you will pick up the requested items from our office.

What to expect after we receive your completed request:

• The non-refundable $10 administration fee will be processed and a receipt generated;
• The report will be pulled and processed, please expect 3-6 weeks for completion (or until prosecution is complete for non-vehicle incidents);
• We are unable to fax or email reports
• Confidential Criminal Justice Information (see Montana Code Annotated 44-5-103(3)) and other private information will be redacted;
• If under 5 pages, the report will be automatically mailed to you;
• If over 5 pages or includes other media, the report will be delivered to you in the most economical way as determined by the Department unless a preference is noted on the form. This may be:
  • printed and requestor contacted for pick-up for reports 25 pages or under (or mailed directly to insurance or attorney requestors);
    • payment will be required upon pick-up before release of the report;
  • via CD or flash drive for large reports with audio or video ($15.00 per CD/drive), the requestor will be contacted for pick-up (or mailed directly to insurance or attorney requestors);
    • payment will be required upon pick-up before release of the report.

What can be requested on the form:

CFS COMMAND LOG / DISPATCH LOG:

The CFS Command Log / Dispatch Log is the initial report created by a Richland County Dispatcher when a citizen informant calls the Richland County Dispatch Center to report an incident or when an officer conducts an investigatory stop. This report provides basic information about the incident including date and time, location, incident type, nature of the call, law enforcement personnel assigned or dispatched to the incident, and the citizen caller, if any. It is also known as the “initial offense report” as described in Montana Code Annotated § 44-5-103. It does not include a detailed description of the incident, the law enforcement officer’s detailed narrative, or State Accident Report. This is the only element of a police report that is considered public information, excepting any contained Confidential Criminal Justice Information or private information of parties. This is typically less than 5 pages and usually does not incur additional charges.

STATE ACCIDENT FORM:

The State Accident Form is created by law enforcement personnel when a vehicle accident occurs and $1,000 in damage is sustained. The form provides information concerning the vehicle(s) and driver(s) involved in the accident. The form may include a diagram, a summary of the accident, insurance information, and any supplemental narratives written by law enforcement personnel. This is most commonly requested by and for insurance companies. This is typically less than 5 pages and usually does not incur additional charges.

BASIC CASE REPORT/NARRATIVE:

The Basic Case Report/Narrative includes the above-mentioned CFS log and State Accident Report, but also includes other relevant attachments. This is typically MORE than 5 pages and usually incurs additional charges upon delivery.      

OTHER:

Other items that may or may not be available are copies of 911 calls, video recordings from a law enforcement vehicle, video recordings from the DUI Processing Room, surveillance videos, and other potential documents/material gathered in an investigation. These items typically require an alternate method of delivery and will incur additional charges.