Search Delaware Police Blotter Records
Delaware police blotter records cover calls for service, arrests, crashes, and press releases from each law enforcement agency in the state. You can look up these reports online, by phone, or in person at the records unit that made the entry. Most requests go through the state Freedom of Information Act. Each agency posts its own police blotter or press feed, and the state has a central FOIA portal for items that are not posted. Knowing where to search saves time. This page walks through the main ways to find a Delaware police blotter, who holds the file, and how to get a copy.
Delaware Police Blotter Overview
Where to Find Delaware Police Blotter Records
The Delaware police blotter is not kept in one place. Each agency holds its own set of reports. The Delaware State Police file press items on their newsroom page. Municipal police in Wilmington, Dover, Newark, and smaller towns keep their own blotters and records units. County agencies run their own FOIA queues as well. Start with the agency that handled the call.
The state FOIA portal at delaware.gov ties most of these offices together. Pick the agency from a drop-down, fill out the form, and send it to the right FOIA Coordinator. The portal has links to each public body, including the Delaware State Police, Department of Justice, and Department of Correction. The State of Delaware FOIA Portal is the fastest way to find a coordinator for an agency you do not deal with often.
Use this portal when you do not know which office holds the Delaware police blotter you want. The drop-down shows every covered public body in the state. Pick the right one, then submit the form.
Note: A FOIA request in Delaware may itself be treated as a public record, so avoid adding details you do not want shared.
How to Search the Delaware Police Blotter Online
Online searches are the fastest path for Delaware police blotter lookups. Start with the Delaware State Police page for statewide incidents. The Delaware State Police FOIA page at dsp.delaware.gov sends you to the standard Delaware request form. Angie von Bank serves as the FOIA Coordinator for the Delaware State Police. Her email is angie.vonbank@delaware.gov, and the mailing address is 1441 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, Delaware 19901.
For the official press feed, the Delaware State Police Newsroom lists arrests, fatal crashes, drug seizures, and wanted person alerts. The archive holds more than 770 pages of past releases and can be filtered by keyword or date.
The page above is the main gateway for any statewide record tied to the Delaware police blotter. Use the online form or download the PDF version, then send it in by email or mail.
Delaware State Police Blotter Press Releases
The Delaware State Police newsroom works as the public-facing Delaware police blotter for troop-level incidents. You will see short write-ups of arrests, crashes, and wanted person cases. Each post lists charges, dates, and sometimes photos. Recent posts cover fatal crashes on I-495, stolen vehicle arrests, and sex offender alerts for Delaware.
Follow dsp.delaware.gov/newsroom for the most current Delaware police blotter updates from the state. You can bookmark the page or subscribe to the RSS feed to track new posts without refreshing.
Delaware Warrant Searches and DELJIS
The Delaware Criminal Justice Information System links every Delaware state and local law enforcement agency together. Most of the system is closed to the public. One piece is open. The public wanted persons search at pubsrv.deljis.delaware.gov lets anyone look up active warrants. The database holds more than 70,000 outstanding warrants statewide.
Search by last name. First name is optional. The tool returns active warrants only. It does not show arrest records or past cases. Recent status changes may not show up right away, so a warrant that says active may have been served. Only a sworn officer can make an arrest based on a warrant hit.
The DELJIS homepage also lists the other core systems like the Protection From Abuse file and the state Law File. Court records tied to arrests show up on courts.delaware.gov/CourtConnect, which covers Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Court cases.
Note: Under 1 Del. Admin. Code § 1301-15.0, DELJIS records are highly confidential and must be shredded after use by authorized agencies.
Delaware Sex Offender Registry
The Delaware State Bureau of Identification runs the Delaware sex offender registry. Legal authority sits in Title 11, sections 4120 and 4121, of the Delaware Code. Only Tier II and Tier III offenders show on the public Delaware site. Tier I offenders are not listed.
Use sexoffender.dsp.delaware.gov to search by name or by map. You can sign up for email alerts when a new offender moves near you. Call the State Bureau of Identification at (302) 739-5882 to report bad info.
Delaware FOIA and Police Blotter Requests
Delaware's Freedom of Information Act is in Title 29, Chapter 100, of the Delaware Code. The law states that public business should be done in an open and public manner. Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(l), public records include "information of any kind" held by a public body that relates to public business. That covers most police blotter entries, but not all.
Some records are exempt. Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(3), files compiled for criminal law enforcement are off limits while a case is active. Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(17), security records that could harm public safety are also kept out. Agencies must cite the exact exemption when they deny a request. The ACLU of Delaware guide walks first-time requesters through each step.
Under 29 Del. C. § 10003(h), every public body has 15 business days to respond. The response can provide the record, deny it with a legal reason, or ask for more time. If you get a denial you think is wrong, you can file a petition with the Department of Justice.
Types of Delaware Police Blotter Entries
A Delaware police blotter covers a wide range of law enforcement activity. Some entries are short one-liners. Others run long with suspect names, charges, and case numbers. The format depends on the agency that writes the report.
Most Delaware police blotters include:
- Arrest logs with name, age, and charge
- Incident reports for calls the agency took
- Crash reports with date, time, and location
- Citations and summons counts
- Wanted person alerts and Gold Alerts for missing adults
- Press releases on major arrests or drug seizures
- Sex offender notifications
Short form blotters list date, call type, and block number. Long form press releases add the full story with quotes from the chief or a public information officer. Both count as Delaware police blotter records.
Delaware Police Blotter Fees and Timelines
Fees vary by agency. The state police may charge for staff time when a search runs long. Municipal agencies often charge per page for copies. Collision reports in Wilmington cost $20, or $60 for fatality or serious injury reports. In Newark, a victim's first copy is free, and extra copies are $20 each.
All Delaware agencies follow the 15 business day FOIA clock. Complex requests may take more time. The agency must send a note explaining why if it needs more days.
Delaware Crime Data Reports
Crime data in Delaware runs through the Statistical Analysis Center, part of the Delaware Criminal Justice Council. The center puts out the annual "Crime in Delaware" report, plus a Wilmington Supplement each year. Data comes from NIBRS, the National Incident-Based Reporting System. Agencies across the three counties feed the same pipeline.
Go to sac.delaware.gov to pull reports. The site covers serious crime, violent crime, homicide, and property offenses. From 2016 to 2020, total serious crime in the state fell 20 percent. Homicides rose 38 percent over the same span. The reports break down data by county, agency, age, race, and sex.
Note: The SAC does not hold case files, only summary numbers, so use it for context, not for a specific Delaware police blotter entry.
AG Opinions on Delaware Police Blotter Denials
When an agency turns down a Delaware police blotter request, you can petition the Delaware Attorney General. The AG writes formal opinions on each case. Many past opinions deal with police records.
Browse the full file at attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/opinions. In 25-IB52 from October 2025, the AG ruled the Delaware State Police did not violate FOIA when it held back calls for service, CAD logs, and incident reports. In 25-IB31 from June 2025, the AG upheld a denial of body-worn camera footage. In 25-IB14 from February 2025, the AG backed a denial of photos and video from a vehicle crash. Each opinion lays out the legal ground the agency used.
Fire Marshal and DNREC Delaware Police Blotter
Not every Delaware police blotter comes from a sworn city or state police agency. Two other state offices publish their own. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control posts a weekly blotter from Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police. The State Fire Marshal handles fire investigation records.
Read the DNREC posts at news.delaware.gov. Each entry lists contacts with anglers and hunters, citations issued, vessel boardings, and notable arrests. Call 302-739-4580 to report a violation or 800-292-3030 for Operation Game Theft.
For fire cases, visit statefiremarshal.delaware.gov. The page lists FOIA contacts for each county: Robert L. Fox in New Castle County at (302) 323-5375, Brian A. Schad in Kent County at (302) 739-4447, and John M. Galaska in Sussex County at (302) 856-5600.
Delaware Police Blotter Public Access Rules
Most Delaware police blotter items are open to the public. The state FOIA sets the floor. Agencies can post more than the law requires, and many do. Police reports for non-victims, though, are not open under Delaware FOIA. The victim listed on a report can get a free copy. A non-victim needs a subpoena or other legal route.
Juvenile records are sealed in most cases. Expunged cases are gone from the public view. Active investigation files stay out of public reach while the case is open. The rules flex a bit from agency to agency, but the core limits stay the same across the state.
Browse Delaware Police Blotter by County
Each of Delaware's three counties runs its own records queue and has its own police blotter feeds. Pick a county below to see local contacts, addresses, and links.
Police Blotter in Major Delaware Cities
City police departments and town records units publish their own Delaware police blotter updates. Pick a city below for local contact info and the right FOIA path.