How to File a Police Report in Colorado: Online, Phone, or In Person

To file a police report in Colorado, you have three main routes: submit an online report through your local department’s portal, call the non-emergency line, or go to the station in person. Call 911 instead if the crime is happening now or someone is in danger. Which route you use depends on the type of crime, whether it’s still in progress, and whether you can identify a suspect.

What to Have Ready Before You File

A detailed report gets better results. Write down what you remember while it’s still fresh:

The date, approximate time, and exact location, including street address, cross-streets, or nearby landmarks.
Physical descriptions of anyone you saw: approximate height, weight, hair color, clothing, and distinguishing features like tattoos or scars.
The make, model, color, and license plate of any vehicle involved.
A list of stolen or damaged property with descriptions, estimated values, and serial numbers or receipts.
Names and contact information for witnesses.

You won’t always have every piece, and that’s fine. An incomplete report is still worth filing. The more detail you provide, the more useful it is to investigators.

Filing Online

Most Colorado departments accept online reports for non-emergency crimes with no known suspect. Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, and El Paso County all run online portals, and many smaller departments do too. It’s the fastest option because you can submit immediately and print a copy at no charge.

Eligibility rules are similar across departments. You can generally report theft, vandalism, identity theft, and certain burglaries online. You cannot use the online system if the crime is still in progress, if it involved violence, or if you have information identifying the suspect. Stolen vehicles and stolen firearms must be reported by phone or in person.

Denver’s system accepts theft, vandalism, identity theft, shoplifting, threats, and break-ins to storage units or detached garages, but only if no suspect information is available and the crime has ended.¹ Colorado Springs adds its own requirements: you must be at least 18, the crime cannot involve domestic violence or a hate crime, and certain crimes involving elderly or disabled victims must be called in.²

When you finish, you’ll typically receive a temporary tracking number and later a permanent case number.³ Keep both. You’ll need the case number for insurance claims and for any follow-up with the department.

Filing by Phone or In Person

For anything that doesn’t qualify online, go to your local police station or sheriff’s office and speak with an officer. In-person filing is the right choice for violent crimes, incidents where you can identify the suspect, situations where physical evidence needs to be collected, or any crime you’d rather discuss face to face.

You can also file by phone, but use the correct number. Call 911 only when someone is in immediate danger or a crime is actively happening. For anything that has already occurred and poses no current threat, call your department’s non-emergency line.⁴ Non-emergency dispatch is staffed around the clock by the same call-takers who handle 911. If you accidentally call 911 for a non-emergency, dispatchers will redirect you.

The non-emergency number is different in every city and county. Look it up on your local department’s website and save it in your phone before you need it. Past-tense burglaries, vandalism discovered after the fact, thefts from vehicles, and suspicious activity all belong on that line.⁴

Traffic Accidents Have Their Own Rules

If an accident causes any injury or death, the driver must immediately notify the nearest police authority after exchanging information with the other parties.⁵ At the scene, you must give your name, address, and vehicle registration number to the other driver and show your license if asked.⁶

For property-damage-only accidents, the responding officer has discretion. If the officer reasonably believes no single person’s property damage exceeds $1,000 and no one was injured, the officer isn’t required to investigate or file a report. Two exceptions apply: the officer must file a report if a driver requests one, or if a driver can’t show proof of insurance.⁵ If you’re in a minor fender-bender and want an official report for your insurance claim, request one at the scene.

Domestic Violence Reports

Domestic violence is handled differently. When an officer responds and finds probable cause to believe an offense occurred, the officer is required to arrest the suspected abuser without delay. It isn’t up to the victim or the officer’s preference; the arrest is mandatory under state law.⁷

If both parties claim to be victims, the officer must evaluate each complaint separately, considering prior domestic violence complaints, the severity of each person’s injuries, the likelihood of future harm, and whether either person acted in self-defense. The law does not require officers to arrest both parties just because both make claims.⁷

Responding officers can transport victims and their minor children to a shelter, a family member’s home, or another safe location, even without a custody order and even if the other parent objects.⁷ Domestic violence incidents cannot be reported through online systems. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger, or the non-emergency line if the situation has passed and you are safe.

What Happens After You File

You’ll receive a case number. That’s the single most important thing to hold onto. You’ll need it to check your case status, give it to your insurance company, and request a copy of the official report later.

Whether your case gets actively investigated depends on its severity and the available leads. Reports with suspect descriptions, witness information, or physical evidence are more likely to be assigned to a detective, and you can expect a follow-up call. Reports with no suspect information and no evidence often stay on file without active investigation. That doesn’t make filing pointless: patterns emerge when multiple victims report similar crimes in the same area, and your report contributes.

There is no hard deadline for filing a police report in Colorado, but waiting weakens your case. Evidence disappears, memories fade, and surveillance footage gets overwritten. Most insurance policies also require prompt notification after a loss, and a report filed weeks later looks questionable. File as soon as you can.

Getting a Copy of Your Report

Colorado’s Criminal Justice Records Act governs access. Under the law, criminal justice records may be open for public inspection at the discretion of the agency that holds them, and you must request your report directly from the department that took it. There’s no central statewide database for local police reports.⁸

Requests generally need to be in writing and include your name, contact information, the case number if you have it, and a signed statement that you won’t use the records for direct business solicitation.⁸ Most departments have a form on their website or accept requests by email.

Processing times vary. Traffic accident reports are typically available within five to seven business days. Other reports often take about 14 days, and reports connected to an ongoing investigation may take longer.⁹

Fees vary by department, but Colorado’s Open Records Act caps printed copies at $0.25 per page and prohibits per-page charges for electronic records. Agencies can charge a nominal hourly fee for staff research and retrieval after the first hour, and some require an upfront deposit for requests that will take significant time.¹⁰ In practice, a straightforward report copy often costs between nothing and about $10. Some departments, like Loveland, provide the first 20 pages at no charge.⁹

Be Truthful: False Reports Are a Crime

Under Colorado law, knowingly reporting a crime that didn’t happen or providing false information to law enforcement is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.¹¹

None of this should discourage you from filing a legitimate report, even if you’re unsure about some details. The law targets people who knowingly fabricate crimes or provide information they know to be false. Honest mistakes and incomplete memories are not false reporting.

1
City and County of Denver. Submit an Online Police Report
2
City of Colorado Springs. Reporting Crimes Online
3
City of Boulder. Report a Crime
4
City of Grand Junction. Non-Emergency vs 911
5
Justia. Colorado Code 42-4-1606 – Duty to Report Accidents
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Justia. Colorado Code 42-4-1603 – Duty to Give Information and Render Aid
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FindLaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Criminal Code 18-6-803.6
8
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act – Public Records Requests
9
City of Loveland. Request Police Records
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Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Open Records Act – Colorado Law Summary
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Justia. Colorado Code 18-8-111 – False Reporting to Authorities