To request a copy of a PD-251 police incident report from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, email mpd.public-docs@dc.gov, mail a written request to the Public Documents Section at 441 4th Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20001, or book an appointment to visit that office in person.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251) Copies are free right now; MPD has temporarily waived the fee and has not announced an end date.
What to Have Ready Before You Ask
The single most useful piece of information is the six-digit Central Complaint Number, or CCN. Officers typically hand this number to victims or involved parties at the scene, often written on a business card. If you have the CCN, that alone is enough for clerks to pull your report.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251)
Lost it? You can still get the report by providing:
- Your full name as it appears on the report
- The exact date of the incident
- The block or intersection where it happened
- The time, as close as you can recall
Without the CCN and without most of those details, locating the right file becomes difficult.
Requesting by Email
Email is the fastest route for most people. Send a plain message to mpd.public-docs@dc.gov with your CCN or the name-plus-details combination above.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251) There is no special form for a PD-251. MPD sends the report back electronically once it is processed.
Requesting in Person
In-person pickups happen at the MPD Public Documents Section, 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001. You must book an appointment through MPD’s online scheduling system first; walk-ins are not guaranteed service.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251)
The office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.2mpdc.dc.gov. Police Clearances and Reports The later closing on Tuesdays and Thursdays helps if your workday rules out daytime visits. Bring your CCN or the name, date, location, and time of the incident.
Requesting by Mail
Send written requests to the Metropolitan Police Department, Records Branch, Public Documents Section, 441 4th Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20001.3mpdc.dc.gov. Submit a FOIA Request to MPD Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow six weeks for processing from the date your request arrives.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251) That is considerably longer than the other two channels, so pick mail only if email and in person are not workable for you.
Fees
PD-251 copies cost nothing right now. MPD has temporarily waived the fee and has not posted an end date.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251) If you are reading this well after publication, call the Public Documents Section at (202) 727-4357 to confirm the waiver is still in place. When fees apply to other record types handled by this office, mail-in payments require a money order; personal checks and credit cards have historically not been accepted.2mpdc.dc.gov. Police Clearances and Reports
If Your Incident Was a Vehicle Accident, You Need a PD-10 Instead
A traffic crash generates a PD-10 Accident Report, not a PD-251, and the request process is more restrictive. Only first parties (people directly involved, or their attorney or investigator) can request a PD-10 directly; third parties must go through MPD’s FOIA office.1mpdc.dc.gov. Request an Accident Report (PD-10) or an Incident/Offense Report (PD-251) A PD-10 request also requires a government-issued photo ID and a completed PD Form 10B. In-person PD-10 appointments are booked by phone at (202) 671-6705 rather than through the online system used for PD-251s.
Fixing Errors on the Report
The Public Documents Section distributes reports but does not correct their contents. If your PD-251 lists a misspelled name, wrong address, or incorrect date, contact the MPD district where the incident occurred and ask to speak with the officer who wrote the report or a supervisor there. Bring documentation that supports the fix, such as an ID showing the correct spelling of your name or records establishing the right date.
MPD has not posted a formal amendment form for PD-251s, so expect a phone call or visit rather than a paper submission. The general MPD line at (202) 727-4357 can route you to the right district if you are not sure which one handled your case.2mpdc.dc.gov. Police Clearances and Reports Getting corrections made before the report is used in an insurance claim or legal filing is far easier than fixing it after.