St. Paul Police Records Search

St. Paul police records are public under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, and the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) provides several ways to get them. You can walk in to the Records Unit at 367 Grove Street, submit a mail request, or use the city's online data request portal. Arrest logs, incident reports, booking photos, and other law enforcement data are largely open to the public under state law, though active investigations and certain private data classifications are protected. This page covers where to go, how to request, what to expect, and how to use state resources for deeper searches beyond the local department.

St. Paul Police Department Records Unit

The SPPD Records Unit is on the first floor of the department's main building. This is the office that handles all public data requests for police reports, arrest records, and related law enforcement documents. Staff there can walk you through what is available and what forms to fill out.

• Address: 367 Grove Street, St. Paul, MN 55101, 1st Floor
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed holidays)
• Phone: (651) 266-5700
• Website: www.stpaul.gov/departments/police
• Records Unit Page: stpaul.gov Records Unit

The Records Unit handles requests from the public, insurance companies, attorneys, and government agencies. They process both open-record requests (anyone can ask) and data subject requests (for your own records). If you are not sure which applies to you, call first or check the online portal before visiting in person.

SPPD Records Unit Details

The screenshot below is from the SPPD Records Unit page, which lists current contact details, hours, and instructions for submitting requests.

Check this page before visiting -- hours can change around city holidays, and the unit occasionally updates its procedures for new request types.

How to Request St. Paul Police Records

There are three ways to get police records from SPPD: online, in person, or by mail. The online option is the most convenient for most people.

Online (Recommended)

Go to stpaul.gov/datarequest and click "Data Practices Request." You will need to create an account, fill out the request form, and select the type of record you want. If you are requesting your own data, attach a copy of your ID before submitting. You can track the status of your request through the same portal once it is submitted.

The screenshot below shows the city's online data practices portal.

This portal covers all city departments, not just police. Make sure to select Police Department as the department when filling out your form so the request routes to the right office.

In Person

Visit the Records Unit at 367 Grove Street, 1st Floor. Bring a photo ID. Staff can help you fill out the request form on site. In-person visits work well if you have a specific case number or date and want to know right away whether the record is available.

By Mail

Send a written request to the Records Unit at 367 Grove Street, St. Paul, MN 55101. Include your name, a description of the record you need, relevant dates or case numbers, and a copy of your ID if requesting your own data. Mail requests can take longer to process, especially during busy periods.

Response Times and Fees

Response time depends on who is asking. If you are the data subject (the records are about you), the department must respond within 10 business days. For all other requests, the response window is up to 30 business days. In practice, simple requests are often filled faster than the legal maximum.

Under Minn. Stat. 13.03, inspection of records is free. Physical copies cost $0.25 per page for up to 99 pages. If your request requires more than 100 pages, the city may charge actual cost rather than the flat per-page rate. Fees for video and audio recordings are handled differently -- the city charges actual production costs for those formats. The online portal is fee-waived for most standard requests under 100 pages.

What St. Paul Police Records Include

Under Minn. Stat. 13.82, certain arrest and detention data is always public in Minnesota. For any arrest made by SPPD, the following is open record:

• Name of the arrested person
• Age, sex, and last known address
• Charges filed
• Date, time, and place of arrest
• Booking photo
• Release or hold status

Incident reports can contain additional detail -- witness names, narrative accounts, officer identifiers, and property descriptions. Parts of a report tied to an open investigation are confidential while that investigation is active. Once a case closes or goes to prosecution, most of the report becomes accessible.

Juvenile records are handled differently and are subject to tighter restrictions under state law. If a record involves a minor, expect that much of the personal data will be withheld or redacted. Victims of certain crimes, including sexual assault, also have data privacy protections that limit what the department can release.

St. Paul Police Department Overview

The image below shows the SPPD main department page, which includes links to community resources, crime prevention programs, and contact information for various units within the department.

Beyond the Records Unit, the department also maintains a crime map and publishes annual statistical reports. These can give context to individual record requests and help you understand broader crime patterns in specific St. Paul neighborhoods.

Court Records: MCRO and the 2nd Judicial District

St. Paul is in the 2nd Judicial District, which covers Ramsey County. Court cases tied to SPPD arrests are filed in Ramsey County District Court. You can search those cases online for free using the Minnesota Court Records Online system at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us.

MCRO lets you search by name, case number, or filing date. You can see charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes without going to the courthouse. For documents not yet available online, visit the Ramsey County Courthouse at 15 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. Court staff can pull physical case files and make copies for a small per-page fee.

MCRO is a useful tool even if you only have a name. Run the search and then cross-reference any results with the SPPD arrest data you already have. This gives you a more complete picture of a case from arrest through court disposition.

BCA Criminal History Records

For a statewide criminal history check, contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The BCA maintains records from all Minnesota law enforcement agencies and courts, so it covers arrests outside St. Paul and Ramsey County as well. Under Minn. Stat. 13.87, criminal history data is private except to the subject and certain authorized requesters.

Call the BCA at 651-793-2400, option 7, or visit the BCA background checks page online. The BCA offers both name-based and fingerprint-based searches. Fingerprint checks are more accurate because they do not rely on name spelling, which can vary across records. The BCA is part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Data Rights Under Minnesota Law

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act covers how government agencies -- including police departments -- collect, store, and share data about people. Minn. Stat. 13.025 lays out the basic framework. All government data is public unless a law specifically makes it private or confidential.

Under Minn. Stat. 13.03, you can inspect any public government record at no cost. The agency must let you look at it during normal business hours. Copies cost $0.25 per page, and you cannot be charged for the time it takes to find a record unless the request is large and complex.

If you are the subject of the data, Minn. Stat. 13.04 gives you the right to know what data the agency holds on you, see that data, and challenge anything you believe is wrong. This applies to police records just as it does to other government files. If SPPD denies a request or provides incomplete data, you can appeal to the Minnesota Department of Administration's Information Policy Analysis Division.

Ramsey County Police Records

St. Paul sits in Ramsey County. The county's district court processes all criminal cases arising from SPPD arrests and maintains its own records separate from city police files. County court records can provide case outcomes, sentence details, and other information not found in the police report itself.

Nearby Cities

Other qualifying Minnesota cities near St. Paul have their own police records pages with local contact details and request procedures.