Dane County Sheriff's Office

Records Requests

Business Hours- 8am- 4pm Monday thru Fridays (Excluding Holidays)

Incident reports and other records may be obtained from the Sheriff’s Office Records Section. When making a request, please be as specific as possible by including the case number (if available), names, dates, times, and locations.

As of October 1, 2018, the Dane County Sheriff's Office will no longer process requests for accident reports (MV4000) or crash reports (DT4000). The Department of Transportation is the records custodian for these reports. Please note that our office remains the records custodian for information that may accompany an accident/crash report, including narrative/ supplementary reports, photographs, and video recordings. Please continue to contact our office if you wish to request this information.

Please Click Here For Our Records Fee Schedule

Requests May Be Made

By submitting the Records Request Form online
By completing the Printable Form, which can be mailed, faxed, or brought to the Sheriff's Office in-person
In-person

Please note: Requestor names are not required to submit a records request. Requestors may submit requests anonymously. If you choose to submit an anonymous request, you will need to provide an email address or a mailing address so that your request can be fulfilled. Failing to provide information as to where we can send the records you have requested will result in us being unable to fulfill your request.

Requests in excess of $5.00 and requests for photos, video, or audio recordings may require prepayment. If prepayment is required, we will send you an invoice. Please do not send payment when you submit your request. Please do not e-mail requests. Electronic requests for records should be submitted by using the online submission option.

Online Request Form

Printable Request Form

Medical Requests

Medical Records must be requested via a HIPAA compliant Authorization for Release of Health Information and then mailed, faxed, or dropped off in-person. The form can be downloaded here:

Printable Authorization for Release of Health Information Form

Body-Worn Camera (BWC) and Video Records Request

Important Notes Before You Start:

2023 Wisconsin Act 253 permits law enforcement to require the requester (YOU) to provide written certification confirming specific criteria related to the request.
Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3)(h), law enforcement may charge reasonable fees for certain body-worn camera requests. Charges depend on total footage duration and staff time for necessary redactions.
Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3)(h)a, agencies may charge a fee for body-worn camera footage in certain cases. If your request qualifies for a fee, prepayment will be required.

Warning: Providing False Information is Illegal
Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3)(h)a, knowingly misrepresenting your intended use of this footage may result in a $10,000 forfeiture per violation. If it is suspected that false information is being provided, it is the policy of this Sheriff's Office to pursue this matter which will reach its logical conclusion.

Wisconsin Law on Releasing Body Camera Footage
Videos may contain redactions or be entirely withheld if they contain information not subject to disclosure under Wisconsin Law.

Estimated Cost Table:

Video Length Video Redaction Time Estimated Cost
Up to 20 min 30 minutes $16.40
40 min 1 hour $32.80
1 hour 1.5 hours $49.20
2 hours 3 hours $98.40
3 hours 4.5 hours $147.60
4 hours 6 hours $196.80
5 hours 7.5 hours $246.00

*Actual processing times may vary as each request is a case-by-case basis. Cost Table above is meant to reflect transparency for the fees associated with bodycam requests.

Fees & Processing Time
If your request qualifies for a fee, you will be charged $32.80 per hour, in accordance with Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3)(h)2. Fees cover staff time to locate, review, redact, and prepare the footage for release.

Estimated redaction time: 30 minutes of work for every 20 minutes of video.

Notice for Fee and Prepayment
Should this agency require a fee, you will be notified prior to processing and redaction. A prepayment for redactions will be required in accordance with Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3).

Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and Open Records

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office will no longer provide un-redacted reports and supplements due to the fact that they may contain personal identifying information of the parties. This is due to a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Senne v. Vill. of Palatine, 695 F.3d 597, (7th Cir. 2012 en banc, cert. pet. filed 11/5/2012). The Senne decision held that under the provisions of the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), personal identifying information derived from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is prohibited from disclosure to the public unless a DPPA exception applies. The exceptions can be found at 18 U.S.C. § 2721(b).

If you represent a law firm, an insurance company, governmental agency, or are a private investigative agency or licensed security service and are requesting records on behalf of a client, you are required to submit a completed DPPA Permissible Use Form with your records request for consideration by the Records Custodian.

DPPA Attorney Form

DPPA Insurance Form

DPPA Government Agency Form

How to Submit Printed Forms

To mail your completed forms, please send to the following address:

Dane County Sheriff's Office
Attention Records Section
115 W. Doty St.
Madison, WI 53703

Fax: (608) 284-6156

To drop off your completed forms or to file a request in person, please visit the location below between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday (excluding holidays):

Dane County Sheriff's Office Main Lobby
Second Floor, Public Safety Building
115 W. Doty St.
Madison, WI 53703

For questions, please call (608) 284-6827 or email sheriff.records@danesheriff.com.