Reading Police Records
Reading is a city of approximately 95,000 residents situated along the Schuylkill River in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Reading Police Department maintains records covering criminal incidents, vehicle accidents, arrests, and other police activities within city limits. Formal records requests are administered through the City of Reading Law Department. Reading also provides several online options for specific record types, including a Carfax-powered portal for crash reports and a Citizen Crime Report form for minor incidents. This guide explains how to contact the Records office, how to submit a formal Right-to-Know request, how to access crash reports online, which records are public versus exempt, and how to find criminal history and court records for the Reading area.
Reading Quick Facts
Reading Police Records Overview
The Reading Police Department provides law enforcement services to the City of Reading and maintains records of all incidents, accidents, and criminal activity handled by department officers. The Records office at the Reading Police Department can be reached by phone at 610-655-6054. This line is the starting point for inquiries about specific reports, including questions about whether a report has been completed and is available for pickup, what information you will need to provide, and what fees apply to your request.
Reading handles its formal public records requests through the City of Reading Law Department rather than through the Police Department's Records office directly. The Law Department processes all Right-to-Know Law requests for city records, including police records. This distinction is important: a phone call to 610-655-6054 may help you determine whether a specific report exists and how to retrieve it, while a formal RTK request submitted to the Law Department is the appropriate path when you need records that involve legal review or when you need the response to carry the weight of an official government disclosure.
Reading has specific rules governing public records requests that differ in some respects from those in larger Pennsylvania cities. All requests must be submitted in writing and must be signed. Your name and address are required. Anonymous requests are not accepted. You must be specific about what records you are seeking, as the city is not obligated to create records that do not already exist. The city is also not required to compile data from existing records into a new document or report format on your behalf. These are standard requirements under the Pennsylvania RTK Law, but Reading enforces them consistently.
How to Get a Reading Police Report
For general police report requests, call the Reading Police Records office at 610-655-6054 to confirm that the report you need is complete and available, and to ask about the specific documentation and payment required. The Records office can advise you on in-person pickup procedures, including office hours and acceptable forms of identification. Having a report number, the date of the incident, and the names of involved parties will help the Records office locate your report quickly.
For a formal Right-to-Know Law request, all requests must be submitted in writing and signed by the requester. Your name and mailing address must be included. Requests are processed by the City of Reading Law Department, located at Room 2-54, City Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You may also submit requests by fax to 610-655-6427 or by email to solicitor@readingpa.gov.
Additional information about the Right-to-Know process in Reading is available at readingpa.gov/right-to-know. The city's public records FAQ at readingpa.gov provides additional context about which records are public, which are exempt, and what you can expect during the request process. Reviewing both pages before submitting your request will help you frame your request correctly and understand what the city is and is not required to provide.
Fees for records obtained through the RTK process are $0.25 per page for standard photocopies. Certification of a record costs $5.00 per record. Postage is charged at actual cost when records are mailed. For non-RTK requests, the city limits requesters to three separate records within any 24-hour period. If you need more than three records in a single day, you may need to submit a formal RTK request to address that volume.
Online Crash Reports in Reading
Vehicle crash reports from the Reading Police Department are available online through a partnership with the Carfax Police Crash Assistance Program. The online crash report portal is accessible at readingpa.gov/crash-reoprt. This system allows involved parties to search for and purchase a copy of a crash report online, often within minutes of the report becoming available in the system.
The Carfax crash report portal is convenient for drivers, insurance companies, and attorneys who need crash reports quickly without visiting a government office in person. Reports are typically available for purchase through the portal shortly after they are finalized by the investigating officer and uploaded to the system. The fee for crash reports through the portal is set by the service provider and may differ from the standard RTK copy fee. Payment is made online at the time of the request.
To search for a crash report through the portal, you will typically need identifying information about the accident, such as the report number, the date and location of the crash, or the name of an involved driver. If you do not have a report number, providing the date and approximate location of the crash may be sufficient to locate the correct report. The portal is available around the clock, which is an advantage over in-person or mail requests that are constrained by office hours. If you are unable to locate a specific report through the online portal, contact the Reading Police Records office at 610-655-6054 for assistance.
Citizen Crime Reports in Reading
The Reading Police Department offers an online Citizen Crime Report form for certain categories of minor, non-emergency incidents. The form is available at readingpa.gov/images/pdfs/reading_citizen_crime_report_81512.pdf. This form is intended for two specific types of incidents: minor theft valued at under $1,000 where no suspect is identified, and criminal mischief valued at under $1,000. If your incident does not match one of these categories, do not use the citizen crime report form.
The citizen crime report process is designed to allow residents to document minor incidents without requiring an officer to respond in person. This preserves police resources for incidents that require an active police response while still creating an official record of the reported incident. A copy of the completed report can be useful for insurance claims, loss prevention records, or documentation purposes when you need to show that an incident was officially reported.
If your incident involves a suspect, involves property worth more than $1,000, involves any injury to a person, or falls outside the two covered categories, you must contact the Reading Police Department by calling the non-emergency line or 911 to request an officer response. The citizen crime report is not a substitute for an in-person police report when the circumstances of the incident require one. When in doubt, contact the department at 610-655-6054 to determine the appropriate course of action for your specific situation.
What Reading Police Records Are Public
Pennsylvania law designates certain categories of police records as public records that must be made available upon request. Under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, records that are generally considered public in Reading include crime reports, death reports, accident reports, arrest warrant affidavits, and police payroll records. These categories are specifically identified as public records under state law and cannot be withheld solely on the basis of the requester's purpose or identity.
Certain other categories of records are explicitly exempt from public disclosure under the RTK Law and related statutes. Records that are NOT public in Reading include investigative reports related to active or ongoing criminal cases, 911 call recordings, physical fitness evaluation reports, and the names of individuals who have filed complaints against a police officer. These exemptions are intended to protect the integrity of investigations, the privacy of individuals involved in sensitive situations, and the safety of officers and complainants.
The distinction between a crime report and an investigative report is significant. A crime report documents the initial facts of an incident as recorded by the responding officer and is generally considered public. An investigative report, which documents the course of a detective's investigation and may contain witness information, confidential sources, or details that could compromise a prosecution, is exempt. If you request a report and receive a partial release with certain sections redacted, those redactions are likely protecting information that falls within one of the statutory exemptions. The Law Department will note the basis for any exemption in its written response.
The city's FAQ on public records is available at readingpa.gov and provides additional examples and guidance on navigating the public versus exempt distinction. If you believe a record has been improperly withheld, you may appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov, 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101, phone 717-346-9903, within 15 business days of the denial.
PATCH and Criminal History
The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) system is the primary tool for statewide conviction record searches in Pennsylvania and covers records originating in Reading and Berks County. The search fee is $22 per name. Access PATCH online at pa.gov/agencies/psp/programs/records-request/overview-of-patch. Online results are generally returned within minutes of submission, making PATCH the fastest option for checking Pennsylvania criminal history.
PATCH is administered by the Pennsylvania State Police under the authority of the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9101-9183. Results include convictions and certain other final dispositions maintained in the state criminal history database. They do not include arrests without convictions, charges that were dismissed before adjudication, or records that have been expunged pursuant to a court order. Federal records and records from other states are not included in a PATCH search.
For sex offender registration information specific to the Reading area, the Pennsylvania Megan's Law registry is maintained at pameganslaw.state.pa.us. This registry is searchable by name and by geographic area, including zip code, and is updated on a regular basis as registered individuals move, register, or are removed from the registry. The Megan's Law registry is maintained separately from PATCH and covers a different legal framework governing registration and notification requirements.
Berks County Court Records
Criminal court records for cases originating in Reading and throughout Berks County are available through the Unified Judicial System Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. This free public resource lets you search by name or docket number and access case information from both the Berks County Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts serving Reading and surrounding municipalities. The portal covers misdemeanor-level cases heard by district judges and felony-level cases handled by the Court of Common Pleas.
The UJS Portal provides docket sheets showing charges, case status, scheduled hearings, and final dispositions. Basic case lookups are available at no charge. Certified copies of criminal case documents, which are required for legal proceedings, expungement petitions, professional license applications, and immigration matters, must be requested directly from the Berks County Clerk of Courts. The Clerk of Courts is located at Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601.
The Berks County Clerk of Courts can provide certified copies of criminal complaints, informations, sentencing orders, and other documents from criminal cases in the county. Fees for certified copies vary by document type. Contact the Clerk of Courts at 610-478-6550 for current fee schedules and submission requirements. If you are seeking records related to civil court matters rather than criminal cases, contact the Berks County Prothonotary's office, which maintains separate civil case filings in the Court of Common Pleas.
Nearby Pennsylvania Cities
Residents of cities near Reading 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.