Pittsburgh Police Records
Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania's second-largest city, home to roughly 300,000 residents and served by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, which operates district stations throughout the city's neighborhoods in Allegheny County. Pittsburgh police records available from the Bureau include incident reports, arrest records, offense summaries, and related public safety documentation. This guide covers every major pathway to Pittsburgh police records, including how to contact the Central Records and Reporting Unit, how to submit a Right-to-Know request, how to use the Pennsylvania PATCH system for criminal history, and how to find court records through the Allegheny County court system.
Pittsburgh Quick Facts
Pittsburgh Police Records Overview
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is the primary law enforcement agency for the City of Pittsburgh. The Bureau's Central Records and Reporting Unit (CRRU) is the official custodian of police incident reports and serves as the first point of contact for members of the public seeking copies of reports filed within city limits. All Pittsburgh police stations are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week including holidays, so residents can report crimes at any time. When visiting a station in person to file a report, you must bring a valid government-issued photo ID.
Pittsburgh does not currently offer an online portal for filing police reports. All reports must be filed in person at any Pittsburgh Bureau of Police station. Once filed, a copy of that report can be obtained through the CRRU using the process described below. Understanding the difference between filing a report and requesting a copy of an existing report is important: the station handles the initial filing, and the CRRU handles all subsequent record requests.
Because Pittsburgh is a city within Allegheny County, some related records, including court documents, Sheriff's Office records, and county-level criminal history data, are maintained separately by Allegheny County agencies. This guide focuses on records held by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the City of Pittsburgh's Right-to-Know office. For county records, see the Allegheny County Court Records section below.
How to Get a Pittsburgh Police Report
The Central Records and Reporting Unit (CRRU) is the official office for obtaining copies of Pittsburgh police incident reports. Address: 660 First Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: 412-255-2920. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The CRRU is closed on weekends and holidays, so plan your request accordingly if you are working against a deadline.
All police incident report copies cost $15.00 per copy, regardless of the type of incident or the length of the report. Accepted payment methods include personal check, money order, or credit card. Cash is not accepted. When paying by check or money order, make payment payable to the City of Pittsburgh. If you are requesting a copy in person at the CRRU, bring a valid photo ID along with any report number or identifying information you have about the incident.
Mail requests for police reports are also accepted. To submit by mail, send a written request that includes the type of incident, the report number if known, the date and approximate location of the incident, and a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID. You must also include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the CRRU can return the completed report to you. Mail your request to: Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, CRRU, 660 First Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Requests with missing information may be delayed or returned without processing, so be as specific as possible in your written description of the incident.
Note that investigative reports related to ongoing criminal cases are exempt from disclosure under Pennsylvania law. If your request involves a report connected to an active investigation, it will not be released through the CRRU process. The Public Safety Blotter, which summarizes recent incidents, is available publicly at pittsburghpa.gov/News-articles/Public-Safety-Blotter and does not require a formal request.
Pittsburgh Right-to-Know Requests
Formal Right-to-Know Law requests for City of Pittsburgh records, including records held by the Bureau of Police, are handled through the City's designated RTK Officer. The RTK Officer is Emma Cusumano, located at 313 City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: 412-255-2015. Email: openrecords@pittsburghpa.gov. Additional information about the city's RTK process is available at pittsburghpa.gov/City-Government/Legal-Services/Department-of-Law/Right-to-Know/Making-a-Request.
Under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104), the city must respond to a written RTK request within five business days. The response may grant full access, deny the request with a written explanation citing a specific exemption, request a 30-day extension for complex or voluminous requests, or redirect the request to the appropriate agency. Copy fees are $0.25 per page for standard paper documents. The RTK process is separate from the CRRU report request process, and the two systems serve different purposes.
There are several important limitations specific to Pittsburgh RTK requests. The city does not accept requests sent to a P.O. Box; your request must include a valid physical street address. Anonymous requests are not accepted, meaning you must identify yourself in your written request. Verbal requests are technically accepted under the law, but if you submit a request verbally rather than in writing, you waive your right to appeal any denial to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. For this reason, all requests should be submitted in writing.
Investigative reports are explicitly exempt from disclosure under the RTK Law. If the records you are seeking relate to an active or pending criminal investigation, the city will deny that portion of the request. If your RTK request is denied in whole or in part, you may appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR) at 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Phone: 717-346-9903. Online: openrecords.pa.gov. Appeals must be filed within 15 business days of the denial.
Online Services and Reporting in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police does not currently offer an online portal for filing police reports. All initial reports must be filed in person at a Bureau of Police station. Stations are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID when reporting in person. If you are unsure which station serves your location, the main Pittsburgh Bureau of Police website at pittsburghpa.gov/Safety/Police provides contact information and station locations for each zone.
The city also provides a specific resource for those who need to file a police report for common incidents. The File a Police Report page at pittsburghpa.gov/Safety/Police/File-a-Police-Report outlines what types of incidents require an in-person report versus those that may be handled through other channels. Reviewing that page before visiting a station can help you prepare the correct information and understand which station or division to contact.
The Public Safety Blotter is a publicly available summary of recent police activity in Pittsburgh and is published regularly on the city's website at pittsburghpa.gov/News-articles/Public-Safety-Blotter. The blotter does not contain detailed incident report data but provides a general overview of reported activity. For community-specific concerns related to public safety, the LGBTQIA+ Liaison for the Bureau of Police is Commander Eric Baker, reachable at eric.baker@pittsburghpa.gov.
PATCH and Criminal Background Checks
The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) system is administered by the Pennsylvania State Police and provides statewide conviction records for individuals with criminal history in Pennsylvania, including those with records originating in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The fee is $22 per name search. PATCH is accessible online at pa.gov/agencies/psp/programs/records-request/overview-of-patch. Results are typically returned within minutes for online requests.
PATCH results are governed under the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9101-9183. This means that the information returned is limited to convictions and certain other final dispositions. Arrests that did not lead to convictions, charges that were dismissed, and records that have been expunged are generally not included in PATCH results. Federal records and records from other states are also outside the scope of a PATCH search.
Employers, landlords, and other requesters using PATCH for background screening purposes must comply with Pennsylvania law regarding the use of criminal history information in hiring and housing decisions. CHRIA places restrictions on how conviction records can be used for employment purposes. If you need a broader multi-state background check, you may need to request records from the FBI or submit requests to individual state criminal history repositories in addition to PATCH.
Pittsburgh Court Records
Criminal court records for cases arising in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are available through the Unified Judicial System Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. This free public portal allows you to search by name or docket number and access case information from the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and Pittsburgh Municipal Court. The portal covers both misdemeanor-level cases heard in the lower courts and felony-level cases heard in the Court of Common Pleas.
The UJS Portal provides docket sheets showing charges, case status, scheduled hearings, and final dispositions. This information is available at no charge for basic lookups. Certified copies of court documents, which are required for legal proceedings, expungement petitions, employment clearances, and immigration matters, must be obtained directly from the Allegheny County Clerk of Courts. Fees for certified copies vary by document type and page count.
The Allegheny County Clerk of Courts is located at 436 Grant Street, Room 114, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: 412-350-5300. The Clerk of Courts can assist with obtaining certified copies of criminal case records, including criminal complaints, information sheets, sentencing orders, and related documents. If you are seeking records related to a civil matter rather than a criminal case, contact the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, which handles civil filings separately from the Clerk of Courts.
Pittsburgh Crime Statistics
Crime statistics for Pittsburgh are compiled through the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting system administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. Statewide UCR data, including Pittsburgh's reported crime figures, is published at attorneygeneral.gov/pennsylvania-uniform-crime-reporting-system/. This system aggregates crime data from all participating law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania in standardized formats that allow for year-over-year and jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction comparisons.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police also publishes its own crime data and zone-level statistics on the city's website. These datasets allow residents, researchers, journalists, and policymakers to examine reported crime patterns across Pittsburgh's six police zones and their individual sectors. Annual crime reports and neighborhood-level summaries are typically updated on a regular schedule and provide context that the statewide UCR data alone may not capture, such as trends specific to Pittsburgh's distinct neighborhoods and geographic areas.
Crime statistics reflect only reported incidents. Many offenses, particularly property crimes and certain violent crimes, go unreported for various reasons. Official counts therefore represent a minimum floor of actual criminal activity rather than a comprehensive total. For context around Pittsburgh crime data, independent research organizations, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and nonprofit public safety groups publish supplementary analyses that draw on Bureau of Police data alongside other community and demographic indicators.
Nearby Pennsylvania Cities
Residents of cities near Pittsburgh access police records through their own local departments and county offices. Select a city below to learn about police records and report requests in that area.