Chemung County Police Blotter Search

Chemung County police blotter records are held by the Chemung County Sheriff's Office and the Elmira Police Department. These records cover arrests, incidents, traffic accidents, and other law enforcement activity across the county. You can search or request records through the Sheriff's Records Division in Elmira or file a FOIL request in writing.

Chemung County Sheriff's Office

The Chemung County Sheriff's Office covers law enforcement for all unincorporated parts of the county. Sheriff William A. Schrom heads the agency. Undersheriff Douglas W. Houper assists in operations. The Records Division is a separate unit that manages all police service records and handles public records requests. The division compiles monthly statistical reports for each township, covering incidents, traffic tickets, arrests, and DWI data.

The Sheriff's Office has multiple divisions with direct phone lines for different record types. For the Records Division specifically, call (607) 737-2948. For general administrative questions, call (607) 737-2987. If you need records tied to a criminal matter, the Criminal Division line is (607) 737-2933. Each unit handles its own records and can direct you to the right place if your request crosses multiple categories.

The Sheriff's website posts warrant information and inmate lookup data. If you want to check whether someone has an active warrant or is currently in the county jail, start with the online tools before submitting a formal records request.

Chemung County Clerk's Office

The Chemung County Clerk keeps court records for the county, including County Court and Supreme Court records for criminal and civil cases. If you are looking for the outcome of a case that went through the court system, this is the office to contact.

Elmira Police Department

The Elmira Police Department handles law enforcement inside the City of Elmira. It is separate from the Sheriff's Office and keeps its own records. The department publishes daily activity logs containing information about arrests and law enforcement activities within city limits. These logs are useful for finding recent arrest activity in Elmira without filing a formal FOIL request.

If you need full incident reports from the Elmira Police Department or records beyond the daily log, submit a written FOIL request directly to that department. Do not send city police requests to the Sheriff's Office. The two agencies operate independently and maintain separate records systems.

FOIL Request Procedures in Chemung County

New York's Freedom of Information Law, found in Public Officers Law Article 6, Sections 84 through 90, gives the public access to police blotter records, arrest logs, and incident reports. Most records are open. Sealed cases, records tied to active investigations, and juvenile records are commonly withheld. The law applies to all government agencies in Chemung County.

To submit a FOIL request to the Chemung County Sheriff's Office, write your request and address it to the Records Access Officer at 203 William Street, Elmira, NY 14901. You can also call (607) 737-2987 to ask about the process before sending. Include your full name, contact info, a clear description of the records you need, and a date range. The more detail you give, the better. If you have a case number or subject name, include that too.

The agency must respond within five business days. If the records are not ready in that time, they must acknowledge your request and give you an estimate. Under Public Officers Law §89(3), if your request is denied you can appeal to the agency head within 30 days. If the appeal is denied, you can seek review from the Committee on Open Government or pursue an Article 78 proceeding. Guidance on FOIL rights is available at opengovernment.ny.gov.

Types of Police Blotter Records in Chemung County

The Chemung County Sheriff's Office Records Division maintains a detailed set of police service records. The division compiles monthly statistical reports for each township. These reports track incident reports, uniform traffic tickets, parking tickets, traffic stops, accidents, code enforcement violations, felony arrests, misdemeanor arrests, DWI arrests, and violation arrests. This level of detail makes Chemung County one of the more organized county record systems in the region.

Beyond the monthly reports, you can request individual incident reports for specific events. Arrest records include booking information, charges filed, and court disposition data. Accident reports cover crashes investigated by the Sheriff. Warrant information shows active county warrants. The inmate lookup on the Sheriff's website shows who is currently in the Chemung County jail.

For crimes inside Elmira city limits, the Elmira Police Department holds those records. Its daily activity logs are a good starting point. For full incident reports from the city, file a FOIL request with the Elmira Police Department directly. Court records for cases resolved in county or supreme court go through the County Clerk at 210 Lake Street.

State Police records for Chemung County incidents involving Troopers are handled through the FOIL unit at troopers.ny.gov/foil-requests. The NYS WebCrims system at nycourts.gov is the best tool for looking up criminal court case records.

Chemung County Records Resources

The screenshot below shows the Chemung County official website, which links to the Sheriff's Office and other county agencies for records access.

Additional Resources for Chemung County

The New York State Police FOIL unit at troopers.ny.gov/foil-requests handles requests for Troop records covering rural parts of the county. The NYS Department of Corrections inmate lookup is available for anyone sentenced to state custody after a conviction in county court. The Sex Offender Registry is searchable by county through the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The New York State Unified Court System at nycourts.gov includes WebCrims for criminal case lookups in Chemung County. The Committee on Open Government at opengovernment.ny.gov provides free advice on FOIL requests and appeals. If a request is improperly denied, they can issue advisory opinions and help you understand your options.

Cities in Chemung County

Chemung County has no cities that meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. The City of Elmira is the county seat and the largest community. All Elmira city police records go through the Elmira Police Department, not the Sheriff's Office. For records in towns and villages outside Elmira, the Sheriff's Office handles those requests.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Chemung County. If the incident you are researching may have occurred near a county line, check with the bordering county as well.