Monroe County Police Blotter Search

Monroe County police blotter records cover arrest logs, incident reports, crime reports, and booking records from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Rochester Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies in the county. Monroe County is in western New York and includes the City of Rochester as its county seat. Police blotter and crime records are available through written FOIL requests, online crime mapping, and the New York State court system. Monroe County has multiple agencies handling records, so where you send your request depends on where the incident occurred.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Rochester Police Department

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement in unincorporated areas and operates the Monroe County Jail. The Records Division processes FOIL requests for arrest records, incident reports, accident reports, and booking data. For motor vehicle accident reports involving county roads, Monroe County maintains its own request process. Monroe County FOIL requests can take up to 20 days or longer for complex records. The county provides an online FOIL portal for commonly requested records including 911 records, accident reports, and traffic violations.

The Rochester Police Department (RPD) handles incidents in the City of Rochester separately from the county. The RPD is a large agency with 850 sworn and non-sworn civilian employees serving about 210,500 city residents across 37.1 square miles. Founded in 1819, the department has been accredited with New York State since 1990. RPD records go through the City of Rochester Law Department. The RPD also publishes an online Crime Mapping System showing UCR Part I crime data by location and date. For accident reports online, use the LexisNexis BuyCrash portal.

How to Search Monroe County Police Blotter Records

Monroe County offers several ways to find police blotter and arrest records depending on what you need and where the incident occurred. The City of Rochester records are separate from county records. Make sure you know which agency handled the incident before you request records.

For court records, the New York State Unified Court System at nycourts.gov provides free tools. WebCrims shows pending criminal cases by name. eCourts shows court dates and status. The Monroe County Clerk's Office at 39 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614, phone (585) 753-1600, keeps all court records. Staff can search by name or case number and make copies.

For Rochester Police Department records, the RPD has an online FOIL request system at cityofrochester.gov/foil. You can also visit in person at the Law Department in City Hall or at the Accident Records office at the Public Safety Building. Accident reports cost $0.25 per page for involved parties. Non-involved parties must file a FOIL request. RPD also provides criminal history checks for $25 at the Public Safety Building, with fingerprinting available Monday through Friday from 1 PM to 3 PM.

For Monroe County Sheriff records and county-level records, use the Monroe County FOIL portal at monroecounty.gov/communications-foil. The portal covers 911 records, accident reports, and traffic violations. You can also request records in writing. The RPD Open Data Portal at cityofrochester.gov/RPDOpenData/ offers downloadable crime data in shapefile and GeoJSON formats.

FOIL Request Procedures in Monroe County

New York's Freedom of Information Law, Public Officers Law Sections 84-90, gives everyone the right to request public records from government agencies. In Monroe County, police blotter records, arrest logs, and incident reports are available through FOIL unless a specific exemption applies under Public Officers Law §87(2).

For City of Rochester police records, file your request online at cityofrochester.gov/foil or in person at the Law Department at Room 400A, 30 Church Street, or at Accident Records at the Public Safety Building, 185 Exchange Blvd. Records are available for inspection Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City handles records for city government and city police only. For records about suburbs, towns, the County, or state agencies, contact those agencies directly.

For Monroe County Sheriff records, use the online portal or submit a written request to the Sheriff's Office. County FOIL requests may take up to 20 days or longer for complex records. For state police incidents, use the GovQA portal at troopers.ny.gov/foil-requests or mail to Albany. State police charge $15.00 per incident report. The Committee on Open Government at opengovernment.ny.gov provides free FOIL guidance.

Denied requests can be appealed within 30 days. The appeals officer has ten business days to respond. All agencies must acknowledge requests within five business days per Public Officers Law §89(3).

Types of Police Blotter Records in Monroe County

Monroe County has multiple law enforcement agencies, each maintaining their own records. The main sources are the Rochester Police Department for city incidents, the Monroe County Sheriff for unincorporated areas, and the NYS Police for state highway incidents.

RPD keeps arrest records with booking data, charges, and case numbers. The RPD Records Division is at the Public Safety Building. Incident reports go to involved parties and reporting persons. Non-involved parties use FOIL. Accident reports from 2010 forward are on BuyCrash online within about 7 days of the incident. Criminal history checks through RPD cost $25 and take 7 to 10 business days by mail. RPD's Crime Mapping System shows UCR Part I crimes by location going back to 2011.

The Monroe County Clerk's Office at 39 West Main Street maintains court records including criminal case filings, judgments, and dispositions. The Monroe County Sheriff operates the jail and keeps booking records. For a full criminal history record search, the NYS Office of Court Administration charges $95.00 per name at (212) 428-2810. Sex offender information is at criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor.

• RPD arrest records and incident reports for City of Rochester
• Monroe County Sheriff arrest records and incident reports
• Motor vehicle accident reports via BuyCrash or FOIL
• Court records from Monroe County Clerk
• Crime mapping data from RPD Open Data Portal
• Sex offender registry information via DCJS

Legal Resources in Monroe County

Several resources are available in Monroe County for people who need help with records requests, criminal records, or understanding their rights. The NYS Committee on Open Government at opengovernment.ny.gov provides free guidance on FOIL. The NYS Unified Court System at nycourts.gov provides WebCrims and eCourts for free case searches.

Legal Aid Society of Rochester provides free civil legal services to eligible low-income residents in Monroe County. Monroe County Legal Assistance Corporation also provides legal help for qualifying individuals. The Monroe County Bar Association offers lawyer referrals at (585) 546-1817. If you need to seal a past arrest or conviction under CPL §160.50 or CPL §160.59, consult a criminal defense attorney. The NYS Sex Offender Registry is at criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor or call (800) 262-3257.

Cities in Monroe County

Monroe County includes the City of Rochester and several large towns. The following communities have pages on this site with specific records information.

Other communities in Monroe County include Brighton, Chili, Henrietta, Gates, Penfield, Webster, Pittsford, Perinton, and Fairport. All criminal cases from these communities go through Monroe County courts in Rochester.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Monroe County. If you need records near a county line, check which agency responded to the incident.