Rhode Island
Rhode Island Police Reports: How to Get a Crash or Incident Report
Rhode Island's crash-report law is short and direct: the State Police must furnish a copy on written request for a $15 fee. Everything past that baseline, including whether a faster online option exists and exactly what body camera footage you can get, depends on operational details and regulations this research pass could not independently confirm, so this page is intentionally cautious about anything beyond the statute itself.
This guide covers Rhode Island's confirmed statutory rights for crash reports, incident reports, and body camera footage, and flags clearly where you need to confirm operational details directly with the agency.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Get a Rhode Island Crash Report
Rhode Island General Laws section 42-28-37 sets out the state's baseline right to a copy:
The state police, upon written request, shall furnish to any person involved in an accident or the person's legal representative a copy of the official state police report of the investigation of the accident. A fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) shall accompany each written request.
That is a confirmed, direct statutory right: a written request to the Rhode Island State Police, together with a $15 fee, gets you the official report if you were involved in the accident or you are the involved person's legal representative.
Rhode Island State Police may also route some crash-report requests through a third-party records vendor for faster online access, a pattern several other states use, but this research pass could not independently confirm that such a channel exists for Rhode Island specifically, because the State Police's own crash-information page returned an access error during this session. Ask the Rhode Island State Police Accident Records Unit directly whether an online option is available, and if so, confirm its fee, turnaround time, and any handling differences for crashes still under active investigation or fatal crashes, before relying on a third-party vendor's advertised timeline.
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How to Get a Rhode Island Incident Report
General incident reports fall under Rhode Island's Access to Public Records Act. The law enforcement exemption, R.I. Gen. Laws section 38-2-2(4)(D), is conditional rather than absolute:
All records maintained by law enforcement agencies for criminal law enforcement and all records relating to the detection and investigation of crime... such records shall not be deemed public only to the extent that the disclosure of such records... could reasonably be expected to interfere with investigations.
In other words, an agency has to point to a real, reasonably expected interference with an active investigation to withhold a record; it cannot withhold an entire incident report just because it relates to a criminal matter in some general sense. Requests go to the records unit of the department or agency that handled the matter.
Body Camera Footage in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a dedicated bodycam chapter, Title 42, Chapter 161, the Statewide Body-Worn Camera Program, but it works differently from states with a self-contained access statute. Section 42-161-4 does not itself set request windows, fees, or redaction rules. Instead, it directs the Attorney General and the Director of Public Safety to write those rules by regulation:
The attorney general and the director of the department of public safety... shall promulgate rules and regulations... to create a policy for the use and operation of body-worn cameras. This policy shall address at a minimum... access to data by law enforcement and the public.
That policy is required to cover proper equipment use, data security, when cameras must be activated, notifying the public that recording is happening, retention timelines, privacy and redaction protections, and compliance monitoring, in addition to public access. A department's funding under this program is conditioned on its chief certifying that the department has adopted the promulgated policy.
Because the concrete access rules live in a regulation rather than the statute itself, this page cannot state specific request windows or fees for Rhode Island body camera footage with confidence. Contact the Rhode Island Attorney General's office or the Department of Public Safety directly for the current promulgated policy, or see our general guide to requesting body camera footage and Rhode Island's body camera laws page.
Related Resources
- Police Reports by State covers the full 50-state picture.
- How to file a police report
- How to read a police report
- How to request body camera footage
- Are police reports public records?
- Rhode Island body camera laws
- Rhode Island car accident laws
- Rhode Island public records laws
- Rhode Island court records
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Rhode Island's police report and body camera access laws. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, portals, and forms change; confirm current details with the relevant state agency or law enforcement agency before relying on them. Consult a licensed Rhode Island attorney about your specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Rhode Island crash report cost?
A written request to the Rhode Island State Police costs $15 under R.I. Gen. Laws section 42-28-37. Confirm separately with the State Police whether a faster third-party vendor option is available and what it currently charges.
Who can request a Rhode Island crash report?
A person involved in the accident or that person's legal representative, by written request to the State Police.
Are Rhode Island police incident reports public record?
Generally yes, unless the agency can show that disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with an active investigation, under R.I. Gen. Laws section 38-2-2(D).
Does Rhode Island have a body camera access law?
It has a statute, section 42-161-4, but that statute delegates the actual access rules, including request windows and fees, to regulations written by the Attorney General and the Department of Public Safety, rather than spelling them out itself.
Where do I request Rhode Island body camera footage?
Contact the Rhode Island Attorney General's office or the Department of Public Safety for the current promulgated access policy, since the underlying statute does not set concrete request mechanics.
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.
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 38: Public Records, Chapter 38-2: Access to Public Records
§ 38-2-2DefinitionsIn force
As used in this chapter: (1) “Agency” or “public body” means any executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, or administrative body of the state, or any political subdivision thereof; including, but not limited to: any department, division, agency, commission, board, office, bureau, authority; any school, fire, or water district, or other agency of Rhode Island state or local government that exercises governmental functions; any authority as defined in § 42-35-1(b); or any other public or private agency, person, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf of and/or in place of any public agency. (2) “Chief administrative officer” means the highest authority of the public body. (3) “Public business” means any matter over which the public body has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 42: State Affairs and Government, Chapter 42-161: Statewide Body-Worn Camera Program
§ 42-161-4Rules and regulations — Statewide policies, procedures, and guidelines for the use and operation of body-worn camerasIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(a) The director of the department of public safety in consultation with the attorney general shall promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to chapter 35 of this title, to develop the criteria and manner in which funds are awarded to Rhode Island police departments under this chapter. (b) The attorney general and the director of the department of public safety, in consultation with the Rhode Island police chiefs’ association, shall promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to chapter 35 of this title, after holding a public hearing, to create a policy for the use and operation of body-worn cameras. This policy shall address at a minimum, but not be limited to: (1) Proper use of equipment; (2) Data and equipment security; (3) Activation and deactivation of cameras; (4) Notification to the public of recording; (5) Records retention procedures and timelines; (6) Access to data by law enforcement and the public; (7) Privacy protections, including redaction procedures; and (8) Compliance monitoring.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Also relied on in: Rhode Island Police Body Camera Laws: Access & § 42-161
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 42: State Affairs and Government, Chapter 42-28: State Police
§ 42-28-37Accident reports — FeeIn force
The state police, upon written request, shall furnish to any person involved in an accident or the person’s legal representative a copy of the official state police report of the investigation of the accident. A fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) shall accompany each written request. All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited as general revenues.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at webserver.rilegislature.gov
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Sources and References
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-28-37 (State Police accident reports; $15 fee)(webserver.rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2 (Access to Public Records Act; law enforcement records definition)(webserver.rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-161-4 (Statewide Body-Worn Camera Program; policy-delegation rulemaking)(webserver.rilegislature.gov).gov