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Record Bureau

The Records Bureau
701 W. Sample St.  South Bend, IN 46601

The Records Bureau of South Bend Police Department is comprised of 26 civilian employees that constitute 6 divisions providing public services:  Records Management, Alarm Billing, APRA Coordinator, Data Entry, Statistical Reporting and  Evidence/Property Management

Records – (574) 235-9212
Business Hours
Open 7AM-11PM, 7 days a week
Cash, Debit/Credit Cards or Money Orders

Records manages South Bend Police Departments Case Records throughout their lifetime, from creation to archival or destruction.  Records performs a multitude of services for the public.

The Records Department provides the following services:
Accident Report:     $8.00
Accident Reports can be bought at the Police Station or online through the State for $12.00 at https://www.buycrash.com/      

Audio Tape, CD Disc:     $10.00
Tapes and CDs must be approved through the Public Access Process before purchasing.

Background Checks:    $7.00
The background check provided will only verify if you have a criminal history locally.  Background checks can be processed by mail.  If requesting by mail, you will need to send a notarized letter stating that you are requesting a background check, a photo copy of your driver’s license, $7 money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope.  

Fingerprints:     $15.00 per card
Employment screening for a prospective employer or added to a Background Check are done during normal business hours only.  Fingerprints for Handgun Permits must be done electronically at one of the States L1 certified sites.

Handgun Permit:    $10.00 (4 year),   $40.00 (Renewal),   $50.00 (Lifetime)
Permits applications are available for South Bend City residents only (County residents must go to the County Jail).    The application process is done online.   There will be an application fee for the State that can be paid online.    Fingerprints for Handgun Permits must be done electronically at one of the States L1 certified sites.  The above fee must be paid at the South Bend Police Department after your application and fingerprints are completed.

Impound/Towing:    $10.00
Your vehicle may not be available for immediate release due to an investigation.   If your car is able to be released you will need to bring ALL items listed below to the Police Station before it will be released.

•    Current Legal Vehicle Owner Must Be Present  
•    VALID Licensed Driver (with Photo License present) to operate the vehicle.  If the vehicle is to be towed to a residence you must provide a VALID State issued ID
•    Proof Of Proper and Current (not expired or out of date) Registration
•    Proof of VALID Current Insurance in effect showing coverage dates and vehicle description
•    If recently purchased, a proper and valid Bill of Sale and/or Title

Photos:   $1.00 per photo
All Photos must have approval through the Public Access process.

Public Access:  $0.10 per page
Law Enforcement case reports or partial case reports may be able to be released with the approval of the City Attorney for Public Access. Not all Public Access request are granted, depending on the nature of the incident.   The Public Access form must be completed, and it must clearly state the specific time frame that you are inquiring about. The form can be found here. The form must be brought to the South Bend Police Department so that we can include the case with the form and present it to the city Attorney. Further information in reference to the Public Access Laws of Indiana can be found here. Additonal Information can be found on the City of South Bend website.

Summary Report:   $5.00 (Victim)    
The Summary Report has minimal information concerning a case that is also part of the public log.  

VIN Check:   $5.00
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) check inspections are required for out of state purchased vehicles prior to being registered at the Indiana BMV.    VIN checks can be done at the South Bend Police Department during business hours.   For offsite VIN checks, the fee must be paid at the Police Department and the receipt shown to the officer once they arrive.  If you do not have your receipt the officer will not proceed.   VIN checks must be done during daylight hours only.

** Please note there is a minimum of $2.00 mailing fee as we do not fax reports.

False Alarm Billing – (574) 235-7535
False Alarm responses essentially take needed officers away from needed resources.  The Police Department allows a business 3 false alarms a year without charge, giving the business time to either fix issues or for an accidental trip of an alarm.    On the 4th false alarm of the year however, there is a charge of $100 and any consecutive false alarm within that year the charge is $200.    Payment may be made in cash or by a Business check payable to the South Bend Police Department.

Filing a Report – (574) 235-9201
Our Records Specialist are located on site and take most reports over the phone or in person.  They perform the VIN checks and Fingerprints as well as answer multi-line phones to assist you with your questions.  Please contact the Record Specialist if a Report needs to be made in reference to one of the incident types listed below.

  • Assaults  (no suspect involved)    Missing Persons
  • Found Property    Motor Vehicle Theft  (report taken at station)
  • Fraud    Runaways  (report taken at station)
  • Harassing Phone Calls    Vandalisms (non- gang related)
  • Larceny Drive Offs    Vehicle Larceny’s
  • Larceny License Plate    

Property and Evidence – (574) 235-9212
The South Bend Police Department houses thousands of pieces of property and evidence for the City of South Bend.   To obtain property or evidence you must fill out a release of property form or a currency release form.  Your request will be reviewed by the officer handling the case. If the case is still active, it may not be released.    If your request is approved, you will be contacted by the officer.  You will then need to contact the Records Bureau, Property and Evidence Coordinator to schedule a time for pick up.  You may be asked to prove certain items are yours by a receipt of purchase.   A valid form of picture ID is required at time of pick up

Items that are found property with no claim are held for 30 days before being marked to disseminate.  (Destroyed or auctioned)