How do you get a copy of your DUI arrest police report

Im a DUI Attorney in Seattle lately I have been getting calls from people asking how they can get their DUI arrest report.  Some of these individuals are not happy with their current DUI Attorneys and they are shopping for a new one.  Some of these people were recently arrested and want to get a copy of the police report and see what the arresting officer is saying.  Others just want a copy for some random reason.

Basically if you have been arrested for a DUI in Seattle then there are three possible ways to get your DUI arrest report.

The first is to make a public disclosure request to the arresting agency.  Now depending on the arresting agency you may or may not be able to get this.  If you were arrested by the Seattle Police Department and your DUI charge has already been filed, then you will get a response from the SPD saying you are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the City of Seattle Attorneys office and they cannot disclose any materials and to contact the City Attorney.  But if you were arrested by the Washington State Patrol for example then you can contact them through a public disclosure request and they will get you a copy of your police report usually within a month.

The second way to get a copy of your police report is to represent yourself at your DUI arraignment.  This is not the smartest thing to do, but everyone has this right.  If you have an attorney they cannot disclose to you the police report under the local court rules.  If you look at Criminal Rule 4.7 it states the materials received from the Prosecutor are to remain in the exclusive custody of the defense attorney.  This means the defense attorney cannot give the client a copy of the police report. 

The other way to get a copy of the police report after a Seattle DUI arrest is to request an administrative hearing from DOL to challenge the drivers license suspension.  When you're filling out this form you can include your name or your attorneys name.  If you include your name than the DOL will send you a copy of the police report.  If you include your attorneys name, DOL will send your DUI lawyer a copy of the police report.  Your lawyer can then turn around and give that to you, since it is not subject to Criminal Rule 4.7 we discussed above.

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Matthew Leyba is a DUI Lawyer in Seattle, WA.  His practice focuses on representing those accused of DUI and other serious traffic offenses.  If you have been arrested for DUI feel free to contact our office for a free 60 minute consultation.