How to Get a Police Report in Joliet, Illinois

Perhaps you got into a car crash on I-55, or maybe you collided with another rider on a bike trail and got seriously injured. In response to your Joliet, Illinois accident claim, the insurance company may request a police report related to the incident. Police reports serve a crucial purpose. They verify claims related to traffic accidents, burglary, theft, and injuries. But how do you obtain a copy? On this page, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know.

1. Traffic Accident Reports

   To get a police report in Joliet, Illinois, you can request a copy of the Driver Exchange Form. This lists the vehicle and contact information of all of the involved parties. You can get this form through the Joliet Police Department at the front desk:

   Joliet Police Department
   Main Station
   150 W. Washington Street
   Joliet, IL 60432

   Bring a photo ID, and make your in-person request Sunday through Saturday between 8 am and 9 pm. You can also obtain a full copy of the report with diagrams and a narrative for $5. You must bring exact change or a credit or debit card with a matching photo ID.

   Accident reports can also be requested online through the Lexis Nexis eCrash website. Either you or your insurance company may request this information online. You will need to provide your state, jurisdiction, name, date of the incident, the location or cross street of the incident, and the report number. There is a fee for the service.

2. Other Police Reports

   To request other police reports, you must submit a Freedom of Information Act request. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act or FOIA, 5 ILCS §140/1, makes many government records, including police reports, available to the public on request.

You can make a FOIA request for a Joliet police report through the Joliet FOIA Request Center. There you can review any electronic records that have been released to you, as well as browse public documents that have been previously released. You will need to provide your name and contact information, as well as a detailed description of the report you need. Since the fees are based on the number of pages produced, be as specific as possible about the document(s) that you want.

FOIA fees are as follows:

• The first 50 pages of standard size black & white copies are provided at no charge.
• Any additional pages beyond the first 50 are $0.15 per page.
• Color copies are $0.15 per page.
• Plat pages (anything larger than 11x17) are $1.00 per page.
• Audio CDs and Photo DVDs are $1.00 per disc.
• Accident reports are $5.00 per report.

Any records or reports released to you may have information withheld or redacted if they meet criteria exempt from release under FOIA. This could include “private information” like social security numbers, license plates, home or email addresses, personal phone numbers, medical information, or personal financial information. Exempt information can also include things that might interfere with or disrupt a pending legal investigation or ongoing criminal investigation. The names of people who file complaints or provide information to police, administrative agencies, or penal agencies are exempt from release as well.

If for some reason your request is denied or information is withheld, you can ask a Public Access Counselor to review your request. Submit your request for review within 60 calendar days of the day your FOIA request was denied. You should include your original FOIA request and any responses from the city of Joliet to:

Public Access Counselor
Office of the Illinois Attorney General
Public Access & Opinion Bureau
500 S. Second Street
Springfield IL 62706

Whether you fell on a golf course or got into a serious intersection crash near the high school, the attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers are here to serve you. We fight for injured people, helping them to recover fair compensation after accidents in Joliet. Contact our team today to set up a free consultation to get clarity on your next steps.