A police report is a written account of a police officer’s observations. If the police are called to the scene of a car accident, they will generally—but not always—write a police report.
Though police are trained to fairly investigate motor vehicle accidents and prepare police reports, they’re also human and mistakes sometimes happen.
So what happens if they get it wrong? Can you have the police report changed?
Why police reports are important
Police reports can contain a ton of information, including:
- Approximate date, time, and location of the accident
- Name and contact information of the parties involved
- Name and contact information of any witnesses to the accident
- Location of any damage to the vehicles involved
- The weather, road, and lighting conditions at the scene
- A diagram of the accident
- Photographs of the scene
- Statements from the parties and witnesses
- Citations and/or violations of law
- The opinion of the officer as to the cause of the accident
Insurance companies put a lot of stock in police reports. Not only are police officers seen as credible, impartial observers, but police reports are generally written within a few days of the accident based on notes taken by the officer at the scene of the accident.
As a result, police reports represent a fresh recollection of the important events, as opposed to the testimony of the parties and witnesses, which often comes weeks, months, or even years later.
Can I change the information in a police report?
In general, police reports can be amended. Whether or not a police officer is willing to amend a police report, however, depends a lot on what type of information they’re being asked to change:
- Factual errors. Police officers are generally willing to change factual errors that can be easily verified. For example, if the police report states the wrong date of the accident or misspells the name of one of the parties, a correction may be possible.
- Disputed information. Disputed information, such as the cause of the accident or a description of the driver’s behavior following the accident, are much less likely to be changed.
Advice for requesting a police report change
When asking a police officer to amend their accident report, keep the following tips in mind:
- Be polite. You have a much better chance of getting a police officer to change a police report if you treat the officer with kindness and respect.
- Provide documentation. Police officers are reluctant to change information based on telephone calls or emails from strangers. To increase your chances of having a police report changed, be ready to provide evidence supporting the requested change.
- Act quickly. Unfortunately, police officers respond to and write reports for hundreds of car accidents every year. You’ll stand a better chance of having your police report changed (or getting the officer to return your calls for that matter) if you contact the officer soon after the accident.
How to improve the accuracy of your police report
A lot’s going on after a car accident and your focus probably isn’t necessarily on the responding officer and whatever notes they’re jotting down in their notepad. However, once your safe, it’s important to approach the officer and provide them with as much detailed information as possible so the officer can include it in their report.
If there is a specific piece of information you believe should be in the report (perhaps your child in the car is experiencing back pain because of the accident), it’s okay to politely ask the officer to add it to the report. Similarly, if there’s something you think the officer missed (such as a witness standing off to the side or an open beer bottle the at-fault driver tossed into the woods), you should bring it to the officer’s attention and ask that it be added to the report. However, it’s important to avoid being pushy or arguing with the officer.
The bottom line is that it’s much easier to contribute to the police report while it’s being written than it is to change what the report says down the road.
Julie says
I’m just saying someone I know was in a car accident in which the other person in the vehicle in front of my friend vehicles was driving through the green light and just stop suddenly on my friend because they didn’t know which way to turn but there was another vehicle behind my friend he couldn’t stop if the vehicle behind him would run in my friend vehicle back and the vehicle in front tell my friend that their insurance was left at their home and give the police wrong information about the accident now my friend is trying to get police report amend
Ian Pisarcik says
Sorry this happened to you. Thanks for the comment.
Christina says
Not concerning a car accident it’s in a sock is our neighbor came over here and assaulted us one please agency handle that and then the sheriffs took over for some reason they have their address as where the assault happened and they’re doing 50-50 responsibility and unfortunately for them we have cameras around the whole entire house documenting the whole thing it was not 50-50 he came over here and assaulted us they only looked at one angle they said they couldn’t see it I had a whole Nother angle and it’s
Melissa Gold says
Hi, Christina. It sounds like there are several sides to this story, but I’m glad to hear that you have law enforcement involved. Video surveillance footage can be excellent as evidence, so it’s a good idea to let law enforcement know that there are cameras on the property. Best of luck dealing with this situation. I hope that you’re able to stay safe and that the matter is resolved.
Jeanette Henderson says
Yes Mr and my friend had just left church. And the light told us to walk after we began to walk a truck came from another way and decide to turn. I was carrying a wheel basket with come clothes in it and was hit from the side. Truck kept going and hit my friend.knock her in the air. When the amberlance came they took my friend to er.sense the hospital was 3 minutes away I walked. And got check out. The police aske me what happens. I told her we both got hit by the truck but she was the one who got knock up in the air. When the report was written I was not included in the report at all. I went to the police department talk to the police and she change the report and gave me a copy to give to my lawyer. I found out later that the report was not change at all
Ian Pisarcik says
Thanks for the comment, Jeanette. Hopefully, in this situation, your lawyer was able to talk to the police officer and either get him to testify to the fact that you were also struck by the truck.
Carolyn says
I was in an accident on May 26th and i just noted that on the report it stated observation of drinking in which i don’t drink the other driver was at fault so when the officer walked up to my car I was clearly upset and crying and I was driven to the hospital in an ambulance but I wasn’t given a breathalyzer on the scene or hospital but he stated this was his observation how can I get this amended
Ian Pisarcik says
Carolyn,
You can contact the officer whose name is listed on the police report and ask that they amend the report. However, the police report is the officer’s opinion and therefore the officer doesn’t have to change the report.
Donna says
This information is helpful, I just received my accident report, after waiting 3 weeks. If has several inaccuracies- including the direction I was traveling, and they stated no one was hurt, but an ambulance came for me and inspected me on scene. I have several witnesses, I have a time stamp from a salon down the road from which I was traveling home, literally 4 min away. I am nervous to call and speak with the officer. I don’t want to be accusatory, but I need these details corrected….
Ian Pisarcik says
Donna,
You can certainly request that the officer change the police report. However, you should also be aware that the officer has no obligation to change the police report. Fortunately, police reports are not irrefutable under the law. In other words, judges and juries don’t have to agree with the conclusions made in a police report (in fact, police reports are rarely admissible in court). Rather, you can present your own evidence to insurance companies, judges, and juries.