Search San Antonio Police Records
San Antonio police records are managed by the SAPD Records Division at 315 South Santa Rosa, next to the Public Safety Headquarters. The San Antonio Police Department serves over 1.5 million people in the second-largest city in Texas. If you need a copy of an incident report, crash report, or other police record from San Antonio, the Records Division is your main point of contact. You can make a request in person, by mail, or through the City of San Antonio open records portal. SAPD processes around 350,000 reports a year, and most routine requests get handled the same day or within a few business days.
San Antonio Overview
SAPD Records Division
The San Antonio Police Department Records Division is at 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207. It is right next to the Public Safety Headquarters building. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Note that this office closes an hour earlier than many other city departments. It is closed on weekends and all city holidays.
Call (210) 207-7273 to check on a report or ask about fees before making the trip. The Records Division has about 40 employees who handle all incoming requests. The lobby has public access terminals where you can search for reports yourself. Bring a valid photo ID. You need it for every request. SAPD keeps Spanish language staff on hand for residents who need help in that language.
| Office | San Antonio Police Department - Records Division |
|---|---|
| Address | 315 S. Santa Rosa San Antonio, TX 78207 |
| Phone | (210) 207-7273 |
| Fax | (210) 207-7274 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Website | sanantonio.gov/SAPD |
Most reports are ready in 3 to 5 business days after the incident date. That is faster than many large Texas cities. SAPD offers same-day service for many routine report requests if you go in person, which is a real plus if you need something quickly. Reports tied to active investigations may be held back under Texas Government Code Section 552.108.
The San Antonio Police Department page on the city website has department contacts, crime data, and links to records services.
Use the SAPD site to find substation locations, community programs, and links to the open records portal for San Antonio police records.
Getting San Antonio Police Reports
You have three ways to get police records from SAPD. Each one works fine. Pick the method that fits your situation best.
In person is the fastest option. Go to 315 S. Santa Rosa and bring your photo ID. Tell the clerk the date, location, and names tied to the report you want. If you have the report number, that helps a lot. SAPD uses a format that starts with the year followed by a 6-digit number, like 2026-123456. Many standard requests can be filled same-day when you visit the office. Incident reports cost $5.00 per copy. Certified copies are $8.00. Verified crime victims get one free copy.
By mail, send a written request to SAPD Records Division, 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207. Put the incident date, location, names, and report number in your letter. Add a check or money order for the fee, made out to the City of San Antonio. Allow extra time for mail delivery both ways.
Online, submit a Public Information Act request through the City of San Antonio Open Records portal. You can also email your request to SAPD.LegalAffairs@sanantonio.gov. The Legal Affairs office number is (210) 207-7345 if you need to follow up. Under Texas Government Code Chapter 552, SAPD has 10 business days to respond to any public information request. You never need to give a reason for asking.
Note: SAPD reports are typically available 3 to 5 business days after the incident, so give it a few days before you file your request.
San Antonio Police Records Fees
SAPD fees are set by state law and the city. San Antonio charges a bit less than some other big Texas cities for standard incident reports. Here is what the fees look like.
A standard incident or offense report is $5.00 per copy. That is a dollar less than Houston or Dallas. Certified copies are $8.00. Accident reports cost $6.00 for a regular copy and $8.00 for certified. General paper copies of other records run $0.10 per page for letter size and $0.15 for legal. CDs or DVDs cost $1.00 each. For large requests that take significant staff time, SAPD charges $15.00 per hour after the first two hours, plus a 20% overhead charge on labor. If the total goes over $40.00, you get an itemized estimate first. The first 50 pages are free if the records are in one spot.
Pay with cash, check, money order, or credit card if you are in person. Mail requests take check or money order only. Make them out to the City of San Antonio.
What San Antonio Police Reports Show
SAPD incident reports follow a set format. Every report includes the date, time, and specific address of the incident, verified by the officer on scene. The complainant or victim section has the person's full name, date of birth, contact information, and their statement about what happened.
If there is a suspect, the report captures their name (when known), a physical description, what they were wearing, and which direction they went. Witness sections include names, phone numbers, and full statements. The officer narrative is the heart of the report. It lays out everything the officer observed, did, and concluded at the scene. Property sections list stolen, damaged, or recovered items with descriptions and estimated values. Vehicle information covers the year, make, model, color, plate number, VIN, and registered owner.
SAPD classifies offenses using Texas Penal Code sections along with their own internal codes. Disposition codes tell you whether the case was cleared, suspended, unfounded, or still under investigation. Each report also lists the officer's name, badge number, unit, and supervisor approval. If evidence was collected (photos, fingerprints, physical items), that gets documented too. Supplemental reports track follow-up work and any changes to the case status over time.
Note: SAPD redacts Social Security numbers, medical info, and juvenile data from reports before releasing them.Accident Reports in San Antonio
Crash reports in San Antonio work the same way as the rest of Texas. SAPD officers file CR-3 crash reports within 10 days of the wreck per Texas Transportation Code Section 550.065. These go into the statewide CRIS database run by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Crash reports stay confidential for 60 days. After that window closes, you can buy them from CRIS online with a credit card. The cost is $6.00 for a regular copy and $8.00 for a certified one. You can search by name, driver license number, VIN, or the TxDOT crash report ID. You can also request crash reports from SAPD directly through a written request to the Records Division, but the 60-day hold still applies.
For serious injury and fatal crashes, the SAPD Traffic Investigations Unit handles the case separately. Those reports may take longer to become available. If the accident happened on a state highway, contact Texas DPS for the report instead of SAPD.
SAPD Substations in San Antonio
SAPD operates six substations across San Antonio. These are full patrol stations that can also help with records requests. If the Records Division at Santa Rosa is not convenient for you, try one of these locations.
- Central Substation: 214 S. Santa Rosa - (210) 207-7405
- East Substation: 3635 E. Houston St - (210) 207-7450
- North Substation: 13030 Jones Maltsberger Rd - (210) 207-7500
- Prue Road Substation: 5020 Prue Rd - (210) 207-7550
- South Substation: 2020 S. Zarzamora - (210) 207-7600
- West Substation: 7000 Culebra Rd - (210) 207-7650
Each substation covers its own part of the city with patrol officers on duty around the clock. If you are not sure which substation covers your area, call SAPD's main non-emergency line at (210) 207-7273. The Central Substation is the closest to the main Records Division, just a block away on Santa Rosa.
San Antonio Police Records Online
SAPD and the City of San Antonio provide several online tools for finding police records and related information. These are free and available any time.
The SAPD crime mapping page shows where reported crimes happen across San Antonio by type, date, and area. It is useful if you want to know what kind of incidents occur near a certain address. The San Antonio Municipal Court portal has traffic citation records and court case details. For custody status alerts, VINE Link sends free notifications when an offender is released, transferred, or escapes. Sign up online or call 1-877-894-8463.
The Texas DPS Sex Offender Registry lets you search by name or by map around any San Antonio address. The city's 311 service handles non-emergency requests and can point you toward the right department for records that fall outside SAPD's scope. Body-worn camera footage from SAPD officers goes through the Internal Affairs Unit, not the Records Division. 911 call recordings are handled by the San Antonio Emergency Communications Department separately.
Note: SAPD body-worn camera requests and 911 recordings each go through different offices, so make sure you contact the right one for what you need.San Antonio Records and Texas Law
The Texas Public Information Act gives you the right to request San Antonio police records. It is in Government Code Chapter 552. The law says government records are open to the public with certain exceptions. You never need to say why you want a record. SAPD has to respond within 10 business days.
If SAPD denies a request, they must ask the Texas Attorney General for a ruling within 10 business days. The AG has 45 working days to decide. You can appeal that decision in state court within 30 days if you disagree. The AG's open government hotline is 1-877-673-6839 for questions about the process. The standard fee for copies is $0.10 per page, and intentionally hiding public records carries criminal penalties under the act.
Bexar County Police Records
San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County. SAPD handles police records within the city limits, but the Bexar County Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated parts of the county and smaller communities outside the city. For county-level police records, jail lookups, and sheriff's office resources, check the Bexar County page.
Nearby Cities with Police Records
If the incident you are looking for happened outside San Antonio city limits, you may need to contact the police department in one of these nearby cities.
New Braunfels is northeast of San Antonio in Comal County. Austin is about 80 miles to the northeast along I-35. Laredo is to the south along I-35. Each of these cities has its own police force, its own records office, and its own request process. If you are not sure which city's police responded to an incident, the 911 dispatch center for your area can usually tell you.