Oakland County Police Records
Oakland County police records are held by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and by more than 57 municipal law enforcement agencies across cities and townships in the county. The sheriff's office is at 1200 North Telegraph Road in Pontiac, Michigan. Records include incident reports, arrest records, mugshots, jail data, and accident reports. You can request Oakland County police records through the county's online FOIA portal, by visiting the sheriff's records division in Pontiac, or by contacting the specific municipal department that handled the incident.
Oakland County Police Records at a Glance
Oakland County Police Records Overview
Oakland County is one of the largest and most populated counties in Michigan, with more than 57 separate law enforcement jurisdictions. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard, covers unincorporated areas and provides contract policing to several municipalities including Wolverine Lake. Identifying which agency responded to a specific incident is the first step before making any records request. Calling the wrong office adds time to the process.
The sheriff's Records Division at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 38E, Pontiac, MI 48341 handles requests for county-level incident and arrest records. The division is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The phone number is (248) 858-1800. General sheriff inquiries go to (248) 858-5000. Undersheriff Timothy Willis can be reached at (248) 858-0146 for oversight matters. For non-emergency calls within the county, dial (248) 858-4911.
Arrest records, booking information, mugshots, and jail data are among the records the sheriff's office maintains. Michigan courts ruled in Detroit Free Press v. Oakland County Sheriff that mugshots qualify as public records under FOIA. That case set an important precedent for how mugshot requests are handled across Oakland County. Incident reports from any closed investigation are also public under the rules in MCL § 15.243, though portions tied to active cases or confidential information may be redacted.
Oakland County also has an online inmate locator. This free search tool shows who is currently in custody at the Oakland County Jail, including charges filed, bond amounts, and upcoming court dates. It is a useful first step if you only need to confirm someone's booking status without submitting a formal records request. Court records for Oakland County cases can be searched at no cost through Michigan Courts Case Search. Note that court records are separate from police records and cannot be obtained through a police FOIA request.
Oakland County FOIA Portal and Online Records
The Michigan Courts Case Search portal at courts.michigan.gov covers circuit, district, and probate court records across all Michigan counties including Oakland. You can search by name, case number, or attorney. Results show case filings, hearing dates, charges, and dispositions. This is a free resource and a good companion to police records for a full picture of how a case progressed through the courts.
Oakland County operates an online FOIA Request Center at oakgov.com/foia. This portal lets you submit records requests electronically, track their status, and pay fees online. Most county-level police records requests can go through this portal. You can also submit by email to Corporation Counsel at corpcounsel@oakgov.com, by mail, or by visiting the Records Division in person. Using the online portal speeds up the process and creates a digital record of your submission.
Accident reports from Oakland County can be obtained through CLEMIS, the county's law enforcement information system, at clemis.org. The fee is $13.00 per report purchased online. Some individual city police departments also sell reports directly. Birmingham Police Department, for example, charges $5.00 for accident and incident reports and accepts requests between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM at (248) 530-1873. The statewide Michigan Traffic Crash Purchasing System is another option for UD-10 records.
Municipal Departments and City Records
Many of Oakland County's cities and townships have their own police departments that maintain records separately from the county sheriff. If the incident happened inside a city, the city police hold the report. Southfield Police Department is at 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield, MI 48076, phone (248) 796-5000. City pages on this site for qualifying cities include Troy, Rochester Hills, Southfield, and Farmington Hills.
When contacting a municipal department, have the incident date, location, and any case number ready. Each city sets its own FOIA process within the rules established by Michigan law. Some have online portals. Others only accept written requests by mail or in person. The city's official website is usually the best place to find the current contact for their records or FOIA division.
Wolverine Lake is an example of a community that contracts policing through the Oakland County Sheriff. For incidents there, records go to the county rather than a city department. The dispatch line for Wolverine Lake is (248) 624-1335. If you are unsure which agency handled a particular call, start by phoning the county non-emergency line at (248) 858-4911 and ask for help identifying the responding agency and case number.
Prosecutor's Office Records and FOIA
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office handles FOIA requests separately from the main county portal. If you need records from the prosecutor, such as charging documents, case files, or prosecutor notes, submit directly to their office, not through the county FOIA portal. The FOIA Coordinator for the Prosecutor's Office is Jennifer Zerba, reachable at ocpofoia@oakgov.com. The office address is 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 14E, Pontiac, MI 48341. The phone number is (248) 858-0656.
Michigan's Freedom of Information Act at MCL § 15.231 covers all public bodies in the state. Under MCL § 15.233, no one is required to state their reason for requesting records or identify themselves. The prosecutor's office must respond within 5 business days under MCL § 15.235, with a possible 10-day extension if written notice is provided. If a request is denied, you have 180 days to appeal and may eventually file a civil action in circuit court if the appeal fails.
Note: Court records are not obtainable through FOIA. Contact the Oakland County Circuit Court Clerk at (248) 858-0561 directly for certified copies of court documents.
Fees for Oakland County Police Records
Oakland County follows the standard Michigan FOIA fee schedule set by MCL § 15.234. Standard copies cost $0.10 per page for letter or legal size paper. Non-standard formats are billed at actual reproduction cost. Labor is charged at the hourly rate of the lowest-paid county employee who can do the work, with up to 50% added for fringe benefits. Labor is tracked in 15-minute increments. No labor charge applies to searches that take under 15 minutes.
The county may require a 50% deposit before beginning work on requests where the estimated fee exceeds $50. Requesters with prior unpaid invoices may need to pay the full amount in advance. A $20 indigency discount is available for low-income requesters who submit an affidavit of public assistance or inability to pay. This waiver can be used twice per year per requester. It is not available if someone else is paying you to request the records.
Some individual departments set their own flat fees within the limits allowed by state law. Birmingham Police charges $5.00 per report. CLEMIS accident reports cost $13.00. The Oakland County Clerk at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 12E, Pontiac, MI 48341, phone (248) 858-0561, can provide certified court document copies. Always ask for a fee estimate when a request may involve significant labor or large volumes of records.
Criminal history records through ICHAT at the Michigan State Police cost $10 per name search. ICHAT covers felony and serious misdemeanor convictions from all 83 Michigan counties including Oakland. The sex offender registry is free to search at mipsor.state.mi.us. The Michigan Offender Tracking System for state prison and parole records is at mdocweb.state.mi.us and is also free.
Nearby Michigan Counties
Oakland County is in southeast Michigan. Adjacent county records offices are listed below.