Howard County Police Blotter and Incident Records
Howard County police blotter records are handled by the Howard County Sheriff's Office and the Kokomo Police Department, the two main law enforcement agencies serving this north-central Indiana county. The Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas while Kokomo Police handle city incidents inside Indiana's sixth-largest city. This page explains how to find and request police blotter records from Howard County law enforcement agencies.
Howard County Quick Facts
Howard County Sheriff's Office Police Blotter
The Howard County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Jerry Asher, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated Howard County. The office is at 1800 West Markland Avenue, Kokomo, IN 46901. Phone: 765.457.1105. The Sheriff's website at sheriff.howardcountyin.gov describes the agency as an interactive platform designed to improve communication with area residents. The office's motto is Honor, Commitment, Service, and Dedication.
The Howard County Jail operates within the Sheriff's Office complex at 1800 West Markland Avenue. Contact the jail at the same main number, 765.457.1105, for questions about inmates or booking records. For records requests, contact the Sheriff's Office directly and have the date, location, and type of incident ready. The ISP NIBRS initiative page includes Howard County crime data submitted by local agencies. Crime statistics for Howard County are available through the Indiana State Police NIBRS page.
The Howard County Sheriff's Office website at sheriff.howardcountyin.gov provides agency information, public safety resources, and contact details for police blotter and records requests in Howard County.
| Sheriff | Jerry Asher |
|---|---|
| Address | 1800 West Markland Avenue, Kokomo, IN 46901 |
| Phone | 765.457.1105 |
| Website | sheriff.howardcountyin.gov |
For incidents inside Kokomo city limits, the Kokomo Police Department handles blotter records and public records requests. The KPD Records Unit is at cityofkokomo.org/departments/police_department/records_unit.php. The Records Unit is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is closed on holidays. KPD handles official police reports, calls for service logs, police photos, body camera footage, and data requests. Contact the Records Unit for fee information specific to Kokomo PD requests.
How to Request Howard County Police Blotter Records
Indiana's Access to Public Records Act (APRA), at Indiana Code § 5-14-3, gives you the right to request police blotter records in Howard County. You do not need to give a reason for your request. Agencies must acknowledge written requests within seven days. In-person or verbal requests get a response within 24 hours.
For Sheriff's Office blotter records, call 765.457.1105 to start your request. Have the incident date, location, and type of incident ready. Written requests are recommended for documentation. Send written requests to 1800 West Markland Avenue, Kokomo, IN 46901. For incidents inside Kokomo city limits, use the Kokomo Police Department's dedicated online records portal at cityofkokomoinpd.nextrequest.com/requests/new. This NextRequest portal is the main channel for KPD records including official reports, calls for service logs, police photos, and body camera footage. Submit your request online through this portal for the fastest response from Kokomo PD.
The Kokomo Police Department's NextRequest portal at cityofkokomoinpd.nextrequest.com lets you submit online requests for official police reports, body camera footage, and other KPD public records including police blotter data.
For either agency, if your request is denied without a clear legal reason, the Indiana Public Access Counselor at 317-233-9435 can provide a free informal opinion. Call the toll-free line at 1-800-228-6013. You can also file a lawsuit in circuit court to enforce your APRA rights.
Note: Agencies may withhold investigatory records if disclosure would harm an active law enforcement proceeding under Indiana Code § 5-14-3-4.
Indiana State Police Resources for Howard County
The Indiana State Police covers state highways in Howard County including US 31 and SR 26. ISP Troopers handle incidents on these roads and maintain separate records. For highway incidents in Howard County, ISP may hold the primary police blotter entry. The ISP has a dedicated NIBRS data page for Howard County that you can access through the ISP NIBRS Howard County page.
Submit ISP records requests through the ISP APRA portal at in.accessgov.com/isp-apra. This online tool accepts requests for ISP incident reports, crash reports, and other public documents. Requests go directly to the ISP records team. For ISP records by phone, you can also call 317-899-8577 for certain records inquiries.
The Indiana State Police NIBRS resources show crime data and agency information for Howard County, including contact options for requesting ISP records tied to state highway incidents in the county.
Howard County Court Records and Blotter Data
When an arrest in Howard County leads to charges, the case enters the Indiana court system. The MyCase portal at public.courts.in.gov lets you search Howard County court records by name or case number at no charge. This covers Howard County Superior Court and Circuit Court in Kokomo.
MyCase shows case filings, charges, court dates, and outcomes. If someone was arrested in Howard County based on a police blotter incident and charges were filed, the case will appear in MyCase. This connects blotter data to final court outcomes. Court records and police blotter records are separate. Blotter records come from law enforcement. Court records come from the clerk's office. Both are public but held in different offices. For court records not in MyCase, contact the Howard County Circuit Clerk in Kokomo.
Accident Reports in Howard County
Crash reports from Howard County are available through the Kokomo Police Department's NextRequest portal at cityofkokomoinpd.nextrequest.com for city road crashes. For county and state road crashes, use the statewide BuyCrash portal at buycrash.com. BuyCrash covers most Indiana law enforcement agencies and lets you search by report number, date, or name. Fees range from $5 to $12 depending on access method and agency.
Reports appear in BuyCrash once the responding officer submits them. This can take up to ten days for some agencies. For state highway crashes on US 31 in Howard County, ISP may hold the primary report, which is also accessible through BuyCrash. If the portal does not have the report, contact the specific agency that responded to the crash directly.
BuyCrash at buycrash.com provides statewide access to accident reports from Howard County law enforcement agencies including the Kokomo Police Department and the Howard County Sheriff's Office.
Howard County Jail and Inmate Records
The Howard County Jail at 1800 West Markland Avenue is operated by the Sheriff's Office. Booking records are public under APRA. Contact the Sheriff's Office at 765.457.1105 to ask about current or recent inmates. The statewide Indiana Jail Lookup at public.indianajail.gov may also have Howard County booking data. Search by name to see if the county has posted recent booking information in the statewide system.
Arrest records from Howard County include the booking date, charges, and arresting agency. For Sheriff's Office arrests, contact the office directly. For Kokomo Police Department arrests, use the KPD Records Unit at cityofkokomo.org. For court outcomes tied to any Howard County arrest, use MyCase. The two systems together give a full picture from arrest through case resolution.
Public Records Law and Howard County Blotter Access
Indiana Code § 5-14-3 governs access to police blotter records in Howard County. Police blotter information is generally public under this law. This includes names, dates, times, locations, and the general nature of incidents. Active investigatory records may be withheld. Personal data including Social Security numbers and medical information is redacted from public copies.
Howard County agencies must acknowledge written requests within seven days and produce disclosable records within a reasonable time. If denied, contact the Indiana Public Access Counselor at in.gov/pac for a free informal opinion, or file in circuit court. Standard copy fees in Indiana are $0.10 per page for paper records. For Kokomo PD records, contact the Records Unit for their specific fee schedule. You do not need to give your name or reason for a records request under Indiana law.
Cities in Howard County
Howard County is dominated by Kokomo, the county seat and a major city in north-central Indiana. Kokomo has its own Police Department with a dedicated Records Unit and online NextRequest portal for public records. Smaller communities in the county include Russiaville, Greentown, and Kempton.
- Kokomo - Kokomo Police Department Records Unit and NextRequest portal for city police blotter records
For police blotter records from smaller towns in Howard County, contact the local police department if one exists or the Howard County Sheriff's Office at 765.457.1105. The Sheriff's Office covers all unincorporated parts of the county and can direct you to the right agency for city incidents.
Nearby Counties
Howard County borders several counties in north-central Indiana. If an incident happened near a county line, verify which county holds the records before submitting your request.