St. Joseph County Police Blotter Records
St. Joseph County police blotter records come from three main agencies: the St. Joseph County Police Department, the South Bend Police Department, and the Mishawaka Police Department. Each agency keeps its own records and has a separate process for public requests. This page covers how to access police blotter data, submit records requests, locate court filings, and find jail information across St. Joseph County.
St. Joseph County Quick Facts
St. Joseph County Police Department
The St. Joseph County Police Department (SJCPD) handles law enforcement for unincorporated areas of St. Joseph County. The county government is based at 523 S Main St in South Bend, IN 46601. The SJCPD website at sjcpd.org has information on the department, services, and how to reach the records division. For county incidents outside city limits, SJCPD is the right contact. The records division can be reached through the website at sjcpd.org/records.
A key point for records requests in St. Joseph County: the St. Joseph County 911 Center handles public access requests for county incidents, but it does NOT handle requests for incidents inside the City of South Bend or the City of Mishawaka. Those requests must go directly to the city police department that handled the call. This is spelled out on the county's public access request page at sjc911.com/foia. Getting this right from the start saves time.
South Bend police addresses have 4-digit street numbers while county addresses have 5-digit numbers. If you're looking at an incident address and the number has 4 digits, that's inside South Bend city limits. Contact the South Bend Police Department for those cases.
| SJCPD Website | sjcpd.org |
|---|---|
| Records Division | sjcpd.org/records |
| County Building | 523 S Main St, South Bend, IN 46601 |
| Public Access Requests | sjc911.com/foia |
| County Portal | sjcindiana.gov |
How to Request St. Joseph County Police Blotter Records
Indiana's Access to Public Records Act (APRA) at Indiana Code § 5-14-3 governs all police blotter requests in St. Joseph County. You don't need to give a reason. Written requests must be acknowledged within seven days. In-person requests get a response within 24 hours. All three agencies in the county follow these APRA rules.
For county incidents, submit public access requests through the St. Joseph County 911 Center at sjc911.com/foia. This is the portal for incidents handled by SJCPD in unincorporated parts of the county. Do not use this portal for South Bend or Mishawaka city incidents. Those require direct contact with the city police departments.
For South Bend Police Department blotter and incident records, go to the SBPD Records Bureau at 701 W. Sample St. in South Bend. The Records Bureau is open Monday through Friday from 7AM to 11PM. Saturday hours are 8AM to 12PM for impound releases only. The office is closed Sunday and on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call the Records Bureau at 574-235-9212. For report requests by phone, use 574-235-9201. You'll need the victim's last name, the report number, or the report date to locate a record. Full details are on the SBPD Records Bureau page at police.southbendin.gov.
South Bend PD fees: accident reports cost $8. Audio or CD copies cost $10. Background checks cost $7. Fingerprints cost $15 per card. Handgun permits are free. Active cases require review by the City Attorney before release. Suspects cannot pick up their own case files from the Records Bureau. They must file a separate Public Access Request. The SBPD website at police.southbendin.gov has the full details on request procedures.
Note: The SBPD Records Bureau moved to electronic-only APRA submissions after June 1, 2024. Use the city's APRA portal at southbendin.gov/apra for electronic requests.
Indiana State Police Resources for St. Joseph County
The Indiana State Police patrol state roads and highways in St. Joseph County and hold records for incidents under ISP jurisdiction. For crashes on the Indiana Toll Road, U.S. 31, or other state routes, ISP may hold the primary report. Use the ISP APRA portal at in.accessgov.com/isp-apra to submit online requests for ISP records. This is faster than a written mail request and connects you directly to the ISP records team.
The ISP website at in.gov/isp also provides links to crime statistics and agency contacts. For incidents on state roads running through St. Joseph County, checking with ISP first helps confirm which agency responded. Notre Dame University has its own campus police as well, and incidents on Notre Dame's campus may be handled by the NDPD rather than SJCPD or South Bend PD.
St. Joseph County Court Records and Blotter Data
Police blotter incidents that lead to criminal charges show up in Indiana's court system. Use the MyCase portal at public.courts.in.gov to search St. Joseph County court cases for free. St. Joseph County Superior Court and Circuit Court cases in South Bend appear in this database. MyCase is searchable by name or case number and shows charges, hearings, and case outcomes.
Court records and police blotter records are different things managed by different offices. Blotter data comes from the law enforcement agency. Court records come from the court clerk. For South Bend incidents, the court case will reference the South Bend Police incident number once charges are filed. For county incidents, SJCPD case numbers appear in court filings. Use MyCase for the court side, and contact the relevant law enforcement agency for the underlying blotter or incident report.
Accident Reports in St. Joseph County
Crash reports from St. Joseph County are available through BuyCrash at buycrash.com. Most agencies in the county use this statewide portal for accident report access. Reports typically cost $5 to $12. South Bend Police handles accidents inside city limits, and the SBPD Records Bureau also accepts in-person requests. The SBPD accident report fee is $8. You need the report number, report date, and driver's or owner's last name to request an accident report from SBPD.
For accidents on state highways through St. Joseph County, ISP holds the primary report and those are also available through BuyCrash. If BuyCrash doesn't show your report, contact the agency that responded to the crash. South Bend Police Records at 574-235-9212 can help for city crashes. SJCPD records handles county crashes. Mishawaka Police handles crashes inside Mishawaka city limits.
St. Joseph County Jail and Arrest Records
The St. Joseph County Jail holds people arrested across the county. Booking records are public under APRA. To ask about current or recent bookings, contact the county jail through the SJCPD or county main number. The county government portal at sjcindiana.gov has contact information for county departments including the jail.
The statewide Indiana Jail Lookup at public.indianajail.gov may show St. Joseph County booking data. Search by name to see recent bookings. For current status on a specific person, direct contact with the jail is more reliable than the statewide database. Booking records include the person's name, charges, and booking date. Some personal details may be redacted depending on the nature of the charges or if the person is a juvenile.
Indiana Public Records Law in St. Joseph County
Indiana Code § 5-14-3 governs all public records access in St. Joseph County. Police blotter data is generally public. Names, dates, locations, and the nature of incidents are available from law enforcement agencies. Active investigation records may be withheld if disclosure would harm the case. Personal data like Social Security numbers and medical information is redacted from public copies.
The South Bend Police Department follows APRA and has a dedicated APRA Coordinator within the Records Bureau. The SBPD Records Bureau has six divisions handling records management, alarm billing, APRA coordination, data entry, statistical reporting, and evidence and property management. For South Bend records, use the city's APRA portal at southbendin.gov/apra for electronic submissions. For county records, use the SJCPD or the county 911 public access page. If you are denied records without a valid legal reason, contact the Indiana Public Access Counselor at 317-233-9435. You don't need to give your name or explain your purpose to make a public records request.
Cities in St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County has two qualifying cities with dedicated pages on this site. South Bend is the county seat and largest city, home to the University of Notre Dame. Mishawaka is the second largest city and sits adjacent to South Bend. Each city has its own police department and separate records processes.
- South Bend - County seat, served by the South Bend Police Department
- Mishawaka - Served by the Mishawaka Police Department
Other communities in St. Joseph County include Granger, Roseland, New Carlisle, and Lakeville. These areas rely on SJCPD for law enforcement coverage. For blotter records from unincorporated areas, contact the St. Joseph County Police Department directly.
Nearby Counties
St. Joseph County is in northern Indiana near the Michigan border. If an incident happened close to a county line, the neighboring county's agency may hold the report. Check the county location before making a request.