Records

When you walk into the lobby of the Public Safety building, you will likely be greeted by an employee of the Records Section. In addition to being the first point of contact for walk-in customers, Records employees are responsible for maintaining all reports and records generated by the Department. These employees are highly skilled on the use of computers, various software programs and peripheral hardware such as imaging equipment and the Department’s multi-line telephone system.

 

There are five primary functions of the Records Section. These functions are: collecting and maintaining all crime reports for the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, submitting the crime statistics to the Michigan Department of State Police, providing information to the public and other requesting agencies, providing support to the officers in the field and issuing permits to purchase pistols.

 

Through the effective use of the records management system, personnel in Records are responsible for ensuring the data is accurate and complete. Personnel must be able to identify appropriate items that are eligible for entry into state and nation-wide computer database systems. While following strict protocol, applicable data is entered into the system allowing other law enforcement agencies to access critical data.

 

The GHDPS adheres to the Michigan Department of State Police procedures for reporting crime statistics using the Michigan Incident Reporting method. All applicable crimes and other necessary information is submitted to the Michigan Department of State Police on a monthly basis. This information is later shared with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and allows for law enforcement to analyze and compare crime trends through-out the state and nation.

 

The Records Section is also responsible for processing all report requests, Freedom of Information Act requests, and requests from other law enforcement agencies. Records personnel are responsible for processing numerous requests each week. Most of the requests are from insurance agencies and victims of crime who need copies of the reports for restitution or insurance purposes. In addition, Records personnel also handle numerous requests from other law enforcement agencies that need copies of reports to assist them in the administration of their duties and responsibilities. The Records Section is also responsible for ensuring the proper paperwork is forwarded to the prosecutor’s office and subpoena and warrant paper work is processed in a timely manner.

 

The Records Section functions eight hours a day, five days a week. It is staffed by two administrative aides, one administration assistant and one supervisor. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service and support for the community, members of our department and other agencies, as well as maintaining a highly accurate records system.

 

If you need asssitance from our Records Division, please call (616) 842-3460 during regular business hours, 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday thorugh Friday.  If you need a copy of an incident report, please go to our reports page for additional information.