Source: https://troopers.ny.gov/Request_Government_Records/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 08:36:06+00:00

Document:
The Division of State Police, a statewide law enforcement agency mandated by law to prevent and detect crime and to apprehend criminals (Executive Law, Article 11, Section 223), adheres to the principle of the right to privacy for law-abiding people. The Division of State Police must balance the right of citizens to know how their government works with their right to personal privacy. Great care is taken to ensure that records provided are exactly what was requested and are legally releasable.
Please be advised that this agency maintains only those records associated with State Police arrests and investigations; it does not maintain records for any other police or law enforcement agencies, nor does it maintain Criminal History Record Information or court dispositions. Refer to the Helpful Tips section below for details.
Please note that New York State Public Officers Law, Article 4, Section 66-a governs access to certain police investigative reports and records for interested/involved parties. That law is intended to provide reports pertaining to specific incidents to involved persons, parties with a legitimate interest, or representatives of such persons including attorneys and insurance companies. These reports may include accident reconstruction, investigation, and arrest reports.
A copy of a MV-104A Police Accident Report should requested through the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Copies of reports or records other than the MV-104A relevant to investigations by the State Police are maintained by this agency.
Law firms, insurance companies and private investigators representing interested/involved parties seeking photographs pertaining to fatal accident investigations, should contact the appropriate Troop Forensic Investigation Unit (FIU) for these records.
NOTE: If you are the complainant or the victim of an incident being investigated by the State Police, we will provide you, upon request, with a "Report of Incident Verification" at no charge and without waiting for copies of records. These are useful for insurance processing. The State Police Trooper or Investigator who investigated the incident can provide this document at the time of the incident or you may contact him/her at the State Police station; the station telephone numbers can be found through the "Contact Us" page on our public website.
All requests for records must be made in writing and may be submitted via any of the methods identified below.
Requests made on behalf of individuals by representatives such as attorneys and insurance companies should be on company letterhead and clearly identify the party represented.
This form should be attached to a request submitted via e-mail or the Open FOIL NY online form. Save the completed form locally to your computer and attach the saved copy to the e-mail or online form. If the electronic form cannot be sent by your computer, you may submit the form via U.S. mail, at the address listed below. In addition, you may use the form as a guideline and provide the same information in a request submitted via e-mail or the Open FOIL NY online form.
All requests must be submitted on agency letterhead, and where appropriate, include assigned authorization for the release of information. All such requests must be e-mailed to GOVTAgencyReq@troopers.ny.gov. Please submit a separate request for each individual you are seeking information on. If the request is for a peace officer/police officer applicant, please state so in your request. If your request is for a current investigation your agency is working on, please note that in your request.
Within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, we will send you a letter either: making such record available; denying such request in writing; or furnishing a written acknowledgment of the receipt of such request. If you have not received a letter within five business days, please contact us at Foilunit@troopers.ny.gov.
An acknowledgment letter will provide you with an estimate of when the records you request will be available, which shall be reasonable under the circumstances of the request. This date is determined by the number of documents you request, their format, their availability, the time it takes to redact any information that cannot be disclosed pursuant to FOIL, the time it takes to assemble the documents, the number of requests we are currently processing, and other factors.
If the records you request require a fee to be paid, you will be notified prior to the records being released to you. There are fees applied to receiving copies of records pursuant to both Public Officers Law § 87 (FOIL) and Public Officers Law § 66-a.
Additional fees may apply depending on the type and preparation of records requested.
Payment should be made by check or money order payable to the Superintendent of State Police and sent to the New York State Police, Attn: Central Records, 1220 Washington Avenue, Building 22, Albany NY 12226-2252. Upon receipt of payment, we will prepare and forward a copy of the applicable record(s) directly to the requestor. Be advised that a criminal investigation will be conducted and appropriate charges may be brought pursuant to New York State Penal Law if a check is returned due to insufficient funds or accounts closed.
The State Police Records Appeal Officer will review the request, conduct a secondary search of records if warranted, re-examine the exemptions under which the request was denied, and/or consult with Division Counsel if necessary. Within ten (10) business days of the receipt of the appeal, the Records Appeal Officer will fully explain in writing the reason for further denial or will grant full or partial access to the records sought. Please indicate the FOIL Request Number when corresponding on this subject.
Pursuant to FOIL, the State Police maintains a list of records, by subject matter, that are in the agency’s possession. The list, however, does not imply that all records are available to the public. Some records may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to FOIL.
Dispositions for criminal cases and traffic offenses are maintained by the appropriate court of jurisdiction (court that handled the criminal matter), not by the State Police. Contact the criminal court in the town, village, or city in which the incident occurred. The New York State Office of Court Administration may help you find the contact information for your court.
Make sure you are asking for specific records and not abstract ideas. Describe desired record(s) in as much detail as possible so that we can attempt to identify and locate the exact record(s) responsive to your request. Identifying incidents by their locations is essential; also include complete names, dates of birth, other relevant dates, descriptions, addresses, and any other identifying data. Provide your name, address, and phone number as well.
Refrain from requesting lengthy lists of records. Try to group related records and submit separate requests. Upon receipt of a request, we must conduct a diligent statewide search to locate and identify responsive records. All such records must be thoroughly reviewed before fulfilling your request.
Review the exemptions described in the Public Officers Law, Article 6, § 87 and § 89 for an understanding of possible redactions or denials of records.
Review the fees associated with the release of records as mandated in Public Officers Law, Article 6, § 87 and § 89, and Article 4, § 66-a.
enforcement agency records should be made directly to that agency.
Please review the State Police’s subject matter list for the types of records we maintain in our possession.
Accident investigative reports requested under FOIL may be redacted pursuant to the exemptions mandated by law.
If you are a person involved in an accident, you or your representative (legal or insurance) are entitled to a copy of the accident investigation report pursuant to Public Officers Law, Article 4, § 66-a.
Refrain from calling or writing for the status of a request. Checking on the status takes time away from processing the hundreds of requests received each month. If you do not receive a written response within five (5) business days (allow for postal transit time) please do contact us.
Additional helpful information is available on the New York State Police Records Request: Frequently Asked Questions page.

References: § 87
 § 66
 § 87
 § 89
 § 87
 § 89
 § 66
 § 66