Were you in a car accident in La Mirada, California? After the crash, you may have been taken away in an ambulance to the emergency room at St. Jude or Whittier Hospital. Now that the dust has settled, you want to find out who the police placed at fault for the car accident. To do that, you need to obtain a copy of the Traffic Collision Report.
While you're recovering from your injuries, missing time from work, and dealing with everything else that happens after a car accident, trying to get a copy of the police report may be the last thing you want to do. Personal injury attorney Blaise Patzkowski grew up in La Mirada and can help. Contact him directly for assistance getting the report.
Those involved in the crash are also able to request a copy of the Traffic Collision Report. The city of La Mirada does not have its own police department. Instead, it contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which investigates and writes reports about motor vehicle collisions in La Mirada, as well as Norwalk, South Unincorporated Whittier, and East Unincorporated Whittier.
Unfortunately, you cannot request a police report online. To obtain a Traffic Collision Report from the LA County Sheriff's Department, you must either go to the office in person or mail a request.
To Request In Person:
Go to: 12440 East Imperial Highway, Suite 120, Norwalk, CA 90650
The entrance is located near the visitor parking lot.
Telephone: (562) 345-4441
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Fridays are by appointment only, and can be scheduled by calling (562) 345-4441.
You will need a valid ID establishing a legal interest in the report. This can be either:
Requesting by Mail:
Written requests, with required documents and fees, must be mailed to:
Records and Identification Bureau
Attention: Correspondence Unit
12440 East Imperial Highway, Suite 400 West
Norwalk, California 90650
The request should include:
- Your full name (including any alias you want searched)
- Your date of birth
- The address where the report should be mailed
- Your signature
- Your valid notarized identification
Including specific information about the incident will help the Sheriff's Department locate the report. So it is recommended that you include in your request any report numbers, the date of the incident, and the location of the incident.
The fee to request a report is $25 if you provide a file number or $35 if you do not include a file number. Checks should be made payable to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department or LASD.
How long does it take to receive a report?
A Traffic Collision Report must be completed before you can receive a copy of it. It typically takes several weeks after a car accident, bike accident, or automobile versus pedestrian collision for the Traffic Collision Report to be completed, and sometimes longer if it involves driving under the influence (DUI), a fatality, or serious injury. However, you may be able to obtain the "face page" of the report before the full report is completed. The face page is the first page of the report, which identifies the vehicles and parties involved, their auto insurance carrier(s), and the date and location of the incident.
In person requests are responded to on a first-come, first-serve basis. Wait times are often 1 to 3 hours. The busiest times of day are 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Requests made by mail have a typical processing time of at least 10 to 15 business days from the time they are received by the Sheriff's Department.
La Mirada car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski has successfully recovered many millions of dollars for people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, motorcycle accidents, DUI accidents, pedestrian accidents, and other personal injury matters. He is a La Mirada native, and a graduate of La Mirada public schools (Gardenhill Elementary School, Hutchinson Middle School, and La Mirada High School). If you or your family member was hurt in a car accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.
Disclaimer: The information here is general information that should not be taken as legal advice. It cannot be guaranteed to be accurate, current or complete. No attorney-client relationship is established between you and our law firm by reading this article. This article should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a lawyer about the specific facts of your case.
