How do I get a crash report in El Paso?

First, figure out which agency worked your crash

El Paso County has several police agencies, and your crash report sits with whichever one responded. Before you can get the report, you need to know whose it is. The card the officer handed you at the scene usually shows the agency and a case number.

• El Paso Police Department works crashes inside the city limits, which covers most of the city's streets, from Mesa and Montana to Zaragoza and Dyer.
• El Paso County Sheriff's Office covers areas of the county outside the cities.
• Texas Department of Public Safety troopers also work crashes, especially on highways outside city limits. Texas law tells drivers in a crash outside a city to report it to the sheriff or the nearest DPS office (Transp. Code § 550.026), so on I-10 out toward Clint and Fabens or toward Anthony, it may be a deputy or a trooper.
• Socorro and Horizon City have their own police departments that work crashes in their cities.
• Fort Bliss has its own police, part of the garrison's Directorate of Emergency Services.

Every Texas officer who investigates a crash with an injury, a death or apparent damage of $1,000 or more must write a report on form CR-3 and file it with TxDOT within ten days (§ 550.062). So whichever agency it was, there should be a report, and there is usually more than one way to get it.

El Paso Police Department reports

EPPD sells crash reports through its Records Division at 911 N. Raynor St., El Paso, TX 79903. You can request one in person or by mail.

• Cost: $6, plus $2 more for a certified copy. Mail requests add a $1.50 fee.
• Payment: cash, money order or check made out to The City of El Paso. Don't mail cash.
• By mail: include your return mailing address.
• Timing: EPPD says to allow ten business days for a response.

Because EPPD also files its reports with TxDOT, the report can generally be found through CRIS as well, which is often faster than mail.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office reports

The Sheriff's Office charges $6 for a crash report. You can ask for it:

• In person, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Sheriff's headquarters, 3850 Justice Drive; the Northwest Patrol Station, 435 Vinton Road, Suite D; or the Peter J. Herrera Patrol Station, 190 San Elizario Road. They take every form of payment except personal checks.
• By mail, with a money order only, to the EPCSO Records Section, 3850 Justice Drive, El Paso, TX 79938, using the Sheriff's request form.
• By email, sending the request form to DG-SO-Records@epcountytx.gov.

DPS, Socorro, Horizon City: use CRIS

For a trooper's report, and for most other agencies, the simplest route is TxDOT's Crash Report Online Purchase System at cris.txdot.gov. A regular copy is $6 and a certified copy $8, plus a card processing fee. Search by the first and last name of someone in the crash, as it appears on the license, plus one more field such as the date or El Paso County. You can also search by driver license number, VIN or the eight-digit crash ID. Reports can take up to 14 days to appear. If yours isn't there after two weeks, the agency should be asked whether it submitted it. Our guide to getting a Texas crash report on CRIS explains the search and fees in detail.

Crashes on Fort Bliss

A crash on post is different. Fort Bliss is a federal installation, and its police records are handled by the Army, not the city or county. If a military vehicle or a federal employee was involved, the claim also follows federal rules with their own deadlines. We request the records from the installation and handle the claim.

Names, and why we read every line

Many El Pasoans carry two surnames, and crash reports often get them wrong: split, reversed or shortened. That can make a report hard to find on CRIS and can cause trouble with insurers later. Search with the name exactly as it appears on the license, and if it still doesn't show up, try a license number or VIN instead.

When you get the report, check it carefully: the vehicles, lanes and directions, your insurer, and whether the witnesses you remember are listed. Only the officer who wrote the report can change a material fact in it; anyone else's correction goes in a written supplement (§ 550.068). We contact the agency and ask for that correction. If the report blames you, read the police report says I was at fault. It is one officer's opinion, not the final word.

What the report won't give you

TxDOT holds only the report itself. Body camera and dash camera video, photos and the officer's notes stay with the agency. Video from businesses along Montana, Dyer or Zaragoza, or from homes near the crash, is often erased within days or weeks. We ask for it early, without waiting for the report.

Jimmy Suerken grew up in El Paso. He is a Mexican-American attorney who speaks Spanish, and you can talk with him directly. We handle El Paso cases the way we handle them in Houston: by phone, text, email and video call, and in person when needed. If you live in Juárez, your rights after a crash in El Paso are the same.

Other ways people ask this

Where is the El Paso police records office?

The EPPD Records Division is at 911 N. Raynor St., El Paso, TX 79903. You can request a crash report there in person or by mail.

How much is an El Paso crash report?

$6 from EPPD ($2 more for certified, plus $1.50 by mail), $6 from the County Sheriff, and $6 or $8 certified on TxDOT's CRIS plus a card fee.

How long does it take?

EPPD asks you to allow ten business days. On CRIS, reports can take up to 14 days after the crash to appear.

A DPS trooper came to my crash on I-10. Where is the report?

DPS reports are filed with TxDOT. Buy it on CRIS at cris.txdot.gov, or let us pull it for you.

My crash was on Fort Bliss. Is the report on CRIS?

Don't count on it. Fort Bliss police are part of the Army garrison. We request the report from the installation.

My name is wrong on the report. What do I do?

Only the officer who wrote it can change a material fact, and other changes go through a written supplement. We contact the agency and ask for the correction.

I live in Juárez. Can I get the report?

Yes. If you were involved in the crash, you are entitled to the full report wherever you live, and we can get it for you.

Authority: El Paso Police Department — Records & Reports · El Paso County Sheriff's Office — Requests for Reports · TxDOT — Crash reports and records · TxDOT CRIS Purchase User Guide · Fort Bliss Directorate of Emergency Services · Tex. Transp. Code ch. 550