Conroe, TX asked in Criminal Law for Texas

Q: Since police records are public, can anyone go to the police station and request one?

Since police record are public can anyone go to the police station and request one? For instance, if I wanted to get the police record of someone else, will I be able to without any problem?

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2 Lawyer Answers
Kiele Linroth Pace
Kiele Linroth Pace
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Austin, TX
  • Licensed in Texas

A: Yes, but there are multiple exceptions in the law that allow law enforcement to withhold or redact certain information if they follow the process outlined in the law. You can read the law for yourself in chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code. Here is the link:

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.552.htm

The exceptions are mostly in subchapter C although there are a couple at the end of subchapter B.

Rick  Davis
Rick Davis
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Bryan, TX
  • Licensed in Texas

A: It depends. If an investigation is still going on, then the police can restrict the dissemination to just the first page of an offense report. If it is an investigation that is long since closed and the Court case is over, you should be able to get the full police report.

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