U-Visas: As a Crime Victim, How Do I Get a Copy of My Police Report from the NYPD?

When consulting with crime victims, one of the initial areas of inquiry that we focus on is whether the individual filed a police report with the NYPD. It is crucial to the success of a U-visa petition to gain as much information as possible surrounding the reporting of the crime and the victim's interactions with police. Of course, a police report is a great resource for piecing together the facts of the case, as it often provides details of the offense, the victim's contact information, the reporting officer's name, the precinct and more. Finding out this information will be invaluable in ensuring the likelihood of obtaining a Supplement B Certification, which is a necessary requirement in the U-visa application process.

Ultimately, if the victim does not have any information related to the specific officers who took their statement/complaint, the police report is a great starting point for locating the important individuals who can be contacted for the purposes of obtaining the Supplement B Certification. Moreover, if a significant period of time has passed since the crime was committed, the police report becomes even more crucial, as the victim is less likely to recall the names of officers or any specifics related to the creation of a police report. In either of these situations, the best course of action is to request a copy of the police report from the NYPD.

HOW TO REQUEST A POLICE REPORT FROM THE NYPD

In order to request a police report from the NYPD, you must utilize New York City's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Request portal. Once there, you will need to choose the proper Category and Agency to ensure that your request is directed to the proper parties.

Under Category you will select "Public Safety" and under Agency you will select "New York City Police Department (NYPD)."
Next, you must title your request. It is important that you do not include any personal identifying information as this title will be viewable by the public. The safest option is to title the request with something like, "Police Report Request - Date of Offense: [include the date of the offense here, for example, 01/25/2018]."
Next, under Request Type, you will select "Complaint Report."

Fill out each of the sections to the best of your knowledge. Be as specific as possible because this will aid the administrative officer searching for your report. Also, be sure to provide a valid email address as this is where the results of the search will be sent.

Finally, once you've reviewed all the information and confirm that everything is filled out, you can submit your request.

You should receive an email shortly after submitting your FOIL request acknowledging receipt of your submission and also providing a timeline by when the NYPD is expected to respond. You can expect this timeline to be three to six months from the date of submission; however, it could be resolved sooner. Once a prospective client provides a copy of the police report, we can gain a full understanding both regarding the crime victims eligibility for a U-visa and also whether there is an appropriate officer/detective that could be contacted for the purposes of obtaining the Supplement B Certification.

If you have any questions about obtaining a police report from the NYPD or the U-visa process in general, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (212) 547-8857 or schedule a consultation online and we'd be happy to discuss these issues further and help you reach a resolution. Our experienced immigration attorneys are here to provide the advice you need.

Disclaimer: This blog post and similar posts are not to be considered as providing legal advice. The discussion here is meant for educational and informational purposes only and shall not create an attorney-client relationship with the readers of this content.