Kansas
Kansas Police Reports: Crash Reports, Records Requests, and Bodycam Footage
Kansas has one of the more detailed body camera access statutes in the country, K.S.A. 45-254, which treats recordings as closed criminal investigation records by default but guarantees a defined list of eligible requesters a right to listen or view the footage within a hard 20-day window. Crash reports run through a separate Kansas Highway Patrol channel, and incident reports go through the general Kansas Open Records Act.
This guide covers the KHP crash report portal, the local incident report process, and the 45-254 bodycam window.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Get a Copy of a Kansas Crash Report
Kansas Highway Patrol crash reports are available online through the kansas.gov accident-reports portal, which requires a Kansas.gov account, or by requesting in person or by mail from KHP Records at General Headquarters. The portal itself states only that "there is a fee involved for downloaded documents," without listing a dollar figure. Secondary sources describe the fee as $5.00 per report plus $2.00 per witness statement, tied to K.S.A. 45-219(c)'s fee authority, but this guide could not independently confirm that figure on a primary KHP page. Confirm the current fee directly with KHP before requesting.
Kansas's Anti-Solicitation Certification
Every online requester on the kansas.gov portal has to certify they will not "use any list of names or addresses... for the purpose of selling or offering for sale any property or service... or sell, give or otherwise make available to any person any list of names or addresses" gathered for a commercial purpose, tied to K.S.A. 45-230. That certification functions as Kansas's version of the anti-solicitation safeguards several other states, including Florida, build directly into their crash report statutes.
Talk to a family-law attorney: free case review
Every case has details a formula cannot capture. Get a free, no-obligation review from a family-law attorney.
How to Get a Kansas Police Incident Report
Non-crash incident reports are requested under the Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-215 and following, from the responding agency's own records unit. Wichita Police Department's process is illustrative: requests go through the department's Open Records Request portal or by phone, and the department's process reportedly covers incident reports, accidents, and Axon bodycam footage all through the same general open-records channel, rather than routing bodycam requests separately the way K.S.A. 45-254 technically allows.
Kansas's general criminal investigation records exemption, K.S.A. 45-221(a)(10), lets an agency withhold "criminal investigation records, except as provided herein." A requester who is denied can ask a district court to order disclosure under the separate override procedure in K.S.A. 45-222.
Body Camera Footage in Kansas
Kansas runs one of the more granular bodycam statutes found anywhere in the country, K.S.A. 45-254. The default rule closes the door: "every audio or video recording made and retained by law enforcement using a body camera or a vehicle camera shall be considered a criminal investigation record." But the statute then guarantees a defined group of requesters a hard right to review it. The agency "shall allow the person to listen to the requested audio recording or to view the requested video recording within 20 days after making the request," and may charge a reasonable fee for doing so. That right to listen or view does not automatically include a right to obtain a copy.
The eligible requesters are: the subject of the recording; a parent or legal guardian of a subject under 18; an heir at law when a deceased person is a subject, meaning the executor or administrator of the estate, or if none, the surviving spouse, or if none, an adult child, or if none, a parent; and an attorney representing any of the above. For the state's fuller legal picture, see Kansas's body camera laws.
Corrections and Practical Notes
No dedicated correction process for a Kansas crash report was located for this guide. If a report needs a correction, contact the investigating agency or KHP Records directly.
Related Resources
Police Reports by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also how to file a police report, how to read a police report, are police reports public, how to request body camera footage, Kansas bodycam laws, Kansas car accident laws, Kansas public records laws, and Kansas court records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Kansas's police report and public records process. It is not legal advice. Fees, portals, and eligibility rules change; verify current details with the agencies named above or a licensed Kansas attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Kansas Highway Patrol crash report?
Through the kansas.gov accident-reports portal, which requires a Kansas.gov account, or by requesting in person or by mail from KHP Records at General Headquarters.
How much does a Kansas crash report cost?
The portal itself does not list a fee, stating only that a fee applies for downloaded documents. Confirm the current amount directly with Kansas Highway Patrol.
How do I request a Kansas police report that is not a crash report?
Under the Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-215 and following, from the responding agency's own records unit.
Who can view Kansas body camera footage?
K.S.A. 45-254 lists the subject of the recording, a parent or legal guardian of a subject under 18, an heir at law when a deceased person is a subject, and an attorney for any of them.
How fast does Kansas have to let someone view body camera footage?
K.S.A. 45-254 requires the agency to allow an eligible requester to listen to or view the recording within 20 days after the request, though it may charge a reasonable fee.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 3 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Kansas Statutes Annotated, Chapter 45: PUBLIC RECORDS, DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION
§ 45-221Certain records not required to be disclosed; separation of open and closed information required; disclosure of statistical information; records over 70 years old open, exceptions.In forcecited in 6 of our articles
(a) Except to the extent disclosure is otherwise required by law, a public agency shall not be required to disclose: (1) Records the disclosure of which is specifically prohibited or restricted by federal law, state statute or rule of the Kansas supreme court or rule of the senate committee on confirmation oversight relating to information submitted to the committee pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4315d, and amendments thereto, or the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted pursuant to specific authorization of federal law, state statute or rule of the Kansas supreme court or rule of the senate committee on confirmation oversight relating to information submitted to the committee pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4315d, and amendments thereto, to restrict or prohibit disclosure. (2) Records that are privileged under the rules of evidence, unless the holder of the privilege consents to the disclosure. (3) Medical, psychiatric, psychological or alcoholism or drug dependency treatment records that pertain to identifiable patients.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at ksrevisor.gov
Also relied on in: Kansas Police Body Camera Laws: Access & K.S.A. 45-254, Kansas Public Records Laws: The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) Explained, Kansas Laws on Recording Police
§ 45-254Law enforcement recordings using body camera or vehicle camera; criminal investigation records; disclosure.In forcecited in 8 of our articles
(a) Every audio or video recording made and retained by law enforcement using a body camera or a vehicle camera shall be considered a criminal investigation record as defined in K.S.A. 45-217, and amendments thereto. (b) In addition to any disclosure authorized pursuant to the open records act, K.S.A. 45-215 et seq., and amendments thereto, a person described in subsection (c) may make a request in accordance with procedures adopted under K.S.A. 45-220, and amendments thereto, to listen to an audio recording or to view a video recording made by a body camera or a vehicle camera. The law enforcement agency shall allow the person to listen to the requested audio recording or to view the requested video recording within 20 days after making the request, and may charge a reasonable fee for such services provided by the law enforcement agency.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at ksrevisor.gov
Also relied on in: Kansas Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, Georgia Public Records Laws: The Georgia Open Records Act Explained, Hawaii Public Records Laws: The UIPA (HRS Chapter 92F) Explained
Kansas Statutes Annotated, Chapter 8: AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES
§ 8-1611Reports by law enforcement officers investigating accidents.In force
(a) Every law enforcement officer who: (1) Investigates a vehicle accident of which a report must be made as required in this article; or (2) otherwise prepares a written report as a result of an investigation either at the time of and at the scene of the accident or thereafter by interviewing the participants or witnesses, when such accident under paragraphs (1) or (2) results in injury or death to any person or total damage to all property to an apparent extent of $1,000 or more, shall forward a written report of such accident to the department of transportation within 10 days after investigation of the accident. (b) Such written reports required to be forwarded by law enforcement officers and the information contained therein shall not be privileged or held confidential. (c) The provisions of this section shall be deemed to be satisfied by the electronic submission of reports prepared by computer and containing the information required to be included in written reports. The format of such electronic reports and the frequency of submission must be acceptable to the secretary of transportation.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at ksrevisor.gov
Search our full record of US law — 1.79 million sections, every state + federal →
Sources and References
- K.S.A. 45-254, Law enforcement recordings using body camera or vehicle camera, criminal investigation records, disclosure(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-221, Certain records not required to be disclosed(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 8-1611, Reports by law enforcement officers investigating accidents(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- Kansas.gov, Kansas Highway Patrol Accident Reports(kansas.gov).gov