These questions are not presented in any particular order.
To find something in this list quickly, use your browser's "Find"
feature. This capability, built into most browsers, allows you
to search the contents of the current page. Usually, this feature
is located under the "Edit" menu.
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I'm tracing
my roots and am trying to find information about a relative
or friend who was a police officer a long time ago. Where
can I find such records? |
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Information about former
police officers who served in the distant past may be obtained
through the Philadelphia City Archives, Warehouse File Storage,
3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. You can also
reach them by phone by calling 215.685-9406 or through the
City Hall Switchboard at 215.686-1776.
You can also try contacting the Pennsylvania Department
of Health, Bureau of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1528, New Castle,
PA 16103-1528. They require the data of death, date of hire
and $3.00 to perform the research. |
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My car
was towed or impounded by the police.
What do I need to do to get it back? |
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In
most cases vehicles are towed by the Philadelphia Parking
Authority (PPA).
They can be contacted by calling: 215.685-9500.
If the PPA hasn't towed your vehicle, contact the Philadelphia
Police Tow Squad by calling 215.685-9134.
You will be required to pay towing charges for vehicles
removed by the City or one of its contracted agents. Storage
charges begin 24-hours after the vehicle is brought to the
impound lot.
You must also pay any fines or outstanding tickets. This
includes both parking and moving violations. All outstanding
tickets must be paid before the vehicle will be released.
Please note that the Parking Authority will perform a computer
check for outstanding parking and moving violations. |
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The
person picking up the vehicle must have a valid drivers
license and must have valid proof of ownership in their
possession. If the vehicle is recovered after being reported
stolen or the vehicle has been in our custody for over
20 days, a Certificate of Title for the vehicle must be
presented. |
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Valid proof
of insurance for the vehicle to be picked up or, in cases
where the vehicle will be towed, proof that the tow truck
is properly insured will be required before the vehicle
will be released. |
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If the vehicle
was the target of a police investigation, a release memo
from the assigned investigator (detective) must be sent
to the impound lot by departmental mail, fax or city computer
before the vehicle can be released. |
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If
your vehicle is a recovered stolen auto, the vehicle must
be removed and cleared from NCIC by the assigned investigator
before the vehicle can be released. |
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If this is a
replated vehicle, a form MV-41 and Court Order from the
investigator must be provided. |
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You must have
valid identification with you when you come to pick up the
auto. The ONLY identification accepted is a picture driver's
license or a state-issued picture non-drivers identification
card. |
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I am
a patch collector. Could you send me a shoulder patch from
your department? |
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Officers are issued patches
upon their appointment to the Police Department. Following
that, they are required to purchase their own with the uniform
clothing allowance proceeds they are provided with. Due
to the size and reputation of our department, many people
request patches. Regrettably, to honor those requests would
pose a huge financial burden on the Department that we cannot
presently meet.
Many individual officers are also patch collectors. When
available, we will post a directory of Philadelphia officers
who are receptive to such requests or who want to swap patches.
A link to such a directory will appear here when it is completed.
If you cannot wait and desperately desire a patch from our
agency, you can purchase one from the Fraternal
Order of Police, Lodge #5.
We provide this link as a courtesy. It should not be seen
as an endorsement of the FOP's retail store operation. |
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How do
I get a copy of a Police Report? |
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You may search
for and order copies of police accident reports online or
print the necessary forms to order a report online.
 Philadelphia
Department of Records Police Reports Service
Extracts of police incident reports are available from the
Philadelphia Department of Records, Room 167, City Hall,
Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215.686-2266. Copies of reports
are not available from the Police Department
or individual districts. You can, however, inquire as to
the content of reports on file at police districts. In all
cases, persons who wish to obtain a copy of an incident
or auto accident report must submit a form with the required
payment. Forms can be obtained from the Department of Records,
any police district or, if available, from this web site.
It is very important that you follow the instructions on
the form completely to expedite your receipt of the requested
report.
Inquiries concerning the availability of police reports
should be directed to the Philadelphia Police Department,
Reports Control Unit, Room 214, Police Headquarters, 8th
& Race Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19106 or by calling
215.686-1292.
Please allow
3 weeks from the date of the incident before requesting
a copy of the police report to insure that it has been received
and appropriately filed. Premature requests that result
in a negative finding are not eligible for refunds.
Police
Incident or Offense Reports
Copies of incident reports may be obtained by submitting
a request form [82-47(4) Rev. 8/97] and a nonrefundable
fee. The form can be obtained from our "downloads"
page.
To determine the fee please view the current
fee schedule on the Philadelphia
Department of Records web site.
You will need the exact date or occurrence, location, date
reported to police, names of person(s) involved, nature
of the incident and the district control number. You can
get the district control (DC) number by calling the district
where the incident occurred.
While the report may still be found without all of this
information, insufficient or vague information may result
in a negative response. It is important to note that you
will not receive an actual photocopy of the police report.
Instead, you will be provided with an extract that contains
all relevant data about the incident.
Police
Auto Accident Reports
Copies of accident reports also entails the submission of
a form and payment. In this case, you need form [82-23 Rev.
8/97] which is available on our "downloads" page.
Information required to find and auto accident report includes:
Date of the accident, name of the driver(s), location of
the accident, district control number and the Philadelphia
Code, usually 3701 or 3703. Both the district control number
and the Philadelphia Code can be obtained by calling the
police district where the accident occurred. In some cases,
it may be possible to obtain the district control number
from the officer at the scene who is conducting the investigation.
You can find the phone number of the district you need to
call by visiting our departmental
phone directory. |
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Where
do I obtain a permit for a block party or other street activity? |
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Street Activity Permit Applications
may be downloaded
from this site or obtained from:
Department of Streets
Highway Division — Permit Unit
940 Municipal Services Buildng
15th Street & JFK Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19101
215.686-5503 |
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I have
a burglar alarm on my house or business and understand that
I must register it with the City. How do I do that? |
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Alarm System Registration
forms may be downloaded
from this site or obtained from:
BAA Code Unit
P.O. Box 56318
Philadelphia, PA 19130-6318
215.686-1578 (fax only) |
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I am
applying for a visa or for United States citizenship. I'm
told that I need to obtain a "Letter of Good Conduct"
to do this. How do I get one? |
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Once again,
we turn our attention to the Department of Records. To
accomplish this, you need to obtain and submit form 75-343
"Philadelphia Police Records Check Request."
You can obtain a copy of this from:
Philadelphia Department of Records
City Hall, Room 167
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.686-2266
Or you may obtain it in our downloads
area.
This form must have your fingerprints placed on it. In
the past, applicants would visit police stations to request
this service. Unfortunately, we cannot honor these requests
any longer for security reasons. As an alternative, You
can create satisfactory prints using black ink or by purchasing
a home fingerprinting kit. Just make sure your prints
are clear and legible. Smudged, indistinguishable or unclear
prints may be cause for the rejection of your application.
The form contains complete instructions and is appropriate
for:
• Letter of Good Conduct ($35.00)
• Police Record Check ($35.00)
This is a two-sided form that is printed on 20lb white
paper stock. If available and downloaded from this site,
make sure to reproduce it on similar paper or the application
may be rejected. |
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I am
a responsible, law-abiding citizen of Philadelphia who wants
to apply for a permit to carry a pistol. What is the process?
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Qualified individuals
can apply for a permit to carry a concealed firearm by submitting
the appropriate state form.
To obtain additional information, please telephone the Philadelphia
Police Gun Permits Unit at 215.685-3656. A taped message
will explain the process you need to follow in detail. If
you still need information after listening to the tape,
you can call the Permits Unit during their hours of operation:
8:30AM to 2:30PM, Monday through Friday. They are closed
on weekends and holidays.
You may also visit our Gun
Permit Information page to learn more. |
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I understand
that the City holds auctions of old police and municipal
vehicles. Where and when are they? |
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In 2007, the City of Philadelphia
began using the services of GovDeals (www.govdeals.com)
to manage the disposal of surplus city vehicles and equipment.
Govdeals uses an online auction system to make bidding on
desired vehicles & equipment easier.
When you first visit the site, enter "Philadelphia"
in the search box. You will then see a page with non-titled
vehicles that are currently available at auction. In order
to see titled vehicles you must register on the site as
a dealer.
This site serves many municipalities. It is important that
you carefully read the terms and conditions before attempting
to register as a dealer. Once registered, you will be informed
of other requirements specific to Philadelphia that must
be met before you can bid on titled vehicles.
Vehicles that are seized by the Police Department, Traffic
Court or the Philadelphia Parking Authority and not reclaimed
by their owners are offered at auction to the public. For
more information visit: www.ppa-auctions.com.
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I need
to have a pre-employment background check performed on a
prospective employee. How do I accomplish this? |
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You can have a pre-employment
background check performed by either the Pennsylvania State
Police or the Philadelphia Police Department.
To learn more, please visit our background
check web page. |
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What
are the curfew laws for the City of Philadelphia? |
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Section 10-300 of the Philadelphia
Municipal Code requires that persons under 18 years of age
adhere to certain restrictions.
Children under 18 are permitted on public streets according
to the following guidelines:
Sunday
through Thursday: Children must be inside by 10:30
PM and cannot venture out until 6:00 AM.
Friday
and Saturday: Children cannot be out after 12:00
Midnight. They may leave the premises at 6:00 AM.
Penalties:
Juvenile violators are subject to a $25 to $300 fine.
Parents and Business Operators are subject to a $50 to $300
fine.
A downloadable poster suitable for printing is available
in our downloads
area. |
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I'm
interested in learning more about the policies, procedures
and directives of the Philadelphia Police Department. Where
can find this information? |
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We have prepared special
Citizen
Information Bulletins that highlight various policy
subjects of particular interest to members of the public. |
he
Philadelphia Police Department has had an online presence since
1996. Since that time we have received many requests for information
and assistance through the various web sites that were available.
We have reviewed those requests and identified those inquiries
that are most frequently made. This list is the culmination of
that effort. As we receive additional requests of a repeat nature
we will update this page.
