Washington County Sheriff - Open Records

The Washington County Sheriff's Office promotes effective citizen oversight by fostering a policy of open government. We strive to accomplish this by releasing records and giving access whenever legally possible.

*NEW*

Online access to Motor Vehicle Accident Reports now available.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is making motor vehicle accident reports available online through a cost-effective partnership with Carfax. Through one online source  Crashdocs.org motor vehicle accident reports will be easily accessible 24/7, and without the need to travel to the Sheriff's Office or wait in line.

For a flat fee of $2.00 (regardless of document length), Crashdocs.org will provide an unredacted electronic copy of the requested motor vehicle accident report. To obtain an online copy of your motor vehicle accident report visit Crashdocs.org and enter the request information: state, agency, accident report number, your last name, and date of incident (this information is contained on the gold-colored Motor Vehicle Accident Information handout supplied to involved operators by the investigating deputy at the time of crash).

Having trouble accessing your online request? Crashdocs.org offers superior 24/7 online customer support at Crashdocs.org/#/contactUs. Please contact Crashdocs customer service before contacting the Sheriff's Office for assistance.

No access to the internet? Motor vehicle accident reports will still be available directly from the Sheriff's Office during normal business hours (Monday - Friday, holidays excluded, between 8:00AM - 4:30PM), for a fee of $.25 per page (an average accident report is between 4 and 6 pages, but maybe longer depending on the number of vehicles involved and/or other extenuating circumstances).

Please NOTE:
Whether online or in person, please allow ten (10) days from the date of accident for internal processing before requesting copies of accident reports

Where Do I Get Information?

Most open records requests directed to the Washington County Sheriff's Office will receive a reply within ten working days. The Washington County Sheriff's Office is not the record custodian for all law enforcement agencies within the county; specific requests should be directed to the individual agencies. Open records requests may be made in person at the sheriff's office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday, excluding holidays, or by calling our office at 262-335-4378 or by mailing requests to:

Washington County Sheriff's Office
Attention: Records
PO Box 1986
West Bend, WI 53095

Typical requests include: accident reports, incident reports, contact records and photos. The fee schedule is:

The Wisconsin public records law authorizes requesters to inspect or obtain copies of records maintained by government authorities. Records are presumed to be open to the public for inspection with some specific exceptions. A request may be denied, in whole or in part, for specific and sufficient reasons. The requirements of the public record law also exist at the time the request is made and does not require authorities to provide information if no responsive record exists. Generally the law also does not require authorities to create new records in order to fulfill requests.

Pursuant to Wis. Stat. 19.35(3) (c), a fee for locating a record not exceeding the actual, necessary and direct cost of location, may be imposed upon the requester if the cost is $50 or more.

Pursuant to Wis. Stat 19.35(3) (f), a pre-payment may be required for reproduction costs if the total is $5.00 or more.

Section 19.35(3)(h)(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes, as created by 2023 Wisconsin Act 253, allows the WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE to charge a fee for the actual, necessary, and direct cost of redacting audio or video content as needed to fulfill a public records request. The fee shall be reasonable and based on the pay rate of the County’s lowest-paid employee capable of performing the task. The lowest-paid employee capable of performing the task may very based on the source of the record, the content of the record, the capability and skills of operating equipment to perform the redactions, and other legitimate factors. When a fee is applicable, the WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE will provide an initial estimate to the requester, which must be paid in advance. Our office will not fulfill the request for records involving recorded audio and video content until the estimate of costs identified in the written fee estimate is paid by the requester.

In compliance with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Senne v. Vill of Palatine, 695 F.3d 597 (7th Cir. 2012 en ban, cer. pet. filed 11/5/2012), the Washington County Sheriff's Office is no longer releasing personal identifying information under the provisions of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA). Personal identifying information derived from the Department of Motor Vehicles, including an individual's date of birth, driver's license number, social security number, home address, home telephone number, photograph, and medical or disability information is prohibited from public disclosure unless one of the exceptions apply. These exceptions can found at 18 U.S.C. §2721(b). The above restrictions do not apply to Wisconsin accident reports released in compliance with applicable Wisconsin law.