Find Criminal Court Records in Dover

Dover criminal court records run through three main offices. The Dover Police Department handles local reports at 400 S. Queen Street. The Kent County Courthouse at 414 Federal Street hears felony and misdemeanor cases. The State Bureau of Identification produces certified criminal history reports. This page walks you through each route with phone numbers, hours, and the forms you need. You will find quick steps to pull a crash report, request an incident file, or get a court case docket. Dover is the state capital, so a few extra state offices sit in the city too.

Dover Police Criminal Court Records

The Dover Police Department runs a records unit that holds local incident and crash files. The unit sits at 400 S. Queen Street, Dover, DE 19904. Call 302-736-7105 to reach records staff during the week. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM. For crash report copies, call 302-736-7106. The non-emergency dispatch line is 302-736-7111. The front desk stays open 24 hours for in-person reports.

Reports take seven to ten days to clear review. The officer writes the first draft, a supervisor reviews, and the records unit sends out the final. Call before you drive over. Staff can check the status of a report by name or case number. A photo ID is required to pick up in person.

A victim's copy of an incident report is free in person with ID. Insurance companies can request a report in writing for a $25 fee, but suspect info will not be released. Crash reports cost $25 per copy. The department takes credit cards by phone, which saves a trip for out of town requesters.

The lead-in image below links to the Dover Police Department main page, the front door for contacts and links.

The Dover Police page holds the daily crime log, press release archive, and officer biographies. The site also posts recruitment info and the citizen police academy schedule.

Use the Dover Police online report page to start a report on a minor matter, like a lost item or minor theft with no suspect. The form covers simple cases where no follow-up is needed. More serious cases still need an officer to come out.

Dover FOIA and Public Records Portal

The city of Dover runs an online FOIA request portal through the City Clerk. The form takes your contact info, a clear description of the file, and any date range that helps staff find the record. The city tracks each request, lets you check status online, and posts a public archive of past requests. This is unusual among Delaware cities and a real help for researchers.

Visit the City of Dover FOIA portal to file a request or check status.

FOIA Coordinator Crystal Wheeler runs the program. Reach her at 302-736-7008 or cityclerk@dover.de.us for help with a request. The 15 business day response window is set by Title 29, Chapter 100 of the Delaware Code.

Criminal case files from the Dover Police Department are not fully open under FOIA. Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(l)(4), active criminal investigative files stay exempt. Yet many non-investigative records come out, including policies, crime stats, body cam footage on closed cases, and use of force data. The FOIA portal handles all of these.

Fire investigative reports are a special case. The Fire Marshal does not release these without a court subpoena. To ask about a fire investigation, contact Fire Marshal Jason Osika at 302-736-7099 or Josika@dover.de.us. The office handles arson cases and suspicious fires in the city.

Kent County Criminal Court Records

After a Dover arrest, the criminal case moves to the Kent County Courthouse at 414 Federal Street, Dover. This is the main place to find Dover criminal court records once a case is filed. The Superior Court hears felony cases. Call 302-735-1900 for that court. The Court of Common Pleas hears misdemeanor cases. Call 302-735-3925 for common pleas.

The Prothonotary's office runs the criminal file room. Files stay at the courthouse. Staff pull a file on request. Copy fees start at $2 per page. Certified copies start at $15 for the first three pages. Plan to pay by check or exact cash.

Visit the Kent County Superior Court page for hours, parking, and security rules.

The page has links to the judges, the civil and criminal calendars, and the local administrative orders. Security screens every visitor at the door. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Check the Court of Common Pleas page for the misdemeanor docket. Cases in this court carry a CP prefix on the case number. The court hears DUI, simple assault, theft under $1,500, and similar class A misdemeanors. Dover DUI arrests often end up here.

Family Court at 555 Bay Road, Dover handles juvenile delinquency, criminal contempt on family orders, and some domestic violence cases. Reach the court at 302-736-0400. The Kent County records page on this site has more detail on local court steps.

Dover Justice of the Peace Courts

Two JP Courts sit in Dover. JP Court 7 is at 480 Bank Lane, Dover. Call 302-734-4513. JP Court 16 is at 414 Federal Street inside the county courthouse. Call 302-735-1940. These courts hear initial appearances, minor criminal matters, and civil cases under $25,000. They also run the first bail hearing after a Dover arrest.

JP Court criminal records live at the specific court where the case was heard. Not every JP Court has online access tools. A phone call saves a wasted trip. The court can tell you if the file is still active or closed, and whether you can view it same day.

Civil dockets for JP Court show on the CourtConnect civil search. The search runs 24 hours a day and covers the whole state. Criminal cases in JP Court are not on the portal. For those, call the court directly.

Here are the state court tools that touch Dover criminal cases:

• CourtConnect for civil case lookup statewide
• Delaware Courts forms repository for request forms
• State Bureau of Identification for certified criminal history
• Delaware Criminal Justice Information System for wanted and offender data
• Delaware Public Archives for older closed cases

State Police and Criminal Court Records

Delaware State Police Troop 3 covers unincorporated Kent County around Dover. The troop sits at 3755 Bay Road, Dover, with a main line of 302-678-4300. If a criminal case started outside Dover city limits, Troop 3 likely handled the arrest. The troop has its own records unit and its own FOIA process.

Visit the Troop 3 page for hours and officer info. The state police report process runs through the statewide records office, not the local troop. Fees and turnaround time match the state schedule.

For a certified criminal history that covers all of Delaware, use the State Bureau of Identification page. Dover has two fingerprint sites, so setting an IdentoGO appointment is simple. State only reports cost $72. State plus federal run $85 and need a legal mandate.

The Delaware Criminal Justice Information System runs a second Dover office at 800 Silver Lake Blvd. The main DELJIS headquarters is in Wilmington. Public access to DELJIS is limited. Linked tools like the wanted list and the sex offender registry are open to everyone.

The State Police wanted persons page holds active warrants across the state. Search by name, offense, or photo. Tips can be anonymous. A wanted list entry is not a court record. A court record exists only after charges are filed.

Dover Criminal Court Records and Forms

Dover criminal court records come in many forms. The main types are police incident reports, arrest reports, case dockets, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and probation records. Each type has its own rules for public access.

Police incident reports stay closed to most of the public under FOIA. Victims can get a free copy in person. Arrest reports open up once charges are filed in court. Case dockets at the Kent County Courthouse are open to anyone who asks. Plea and sentencing orders are open once the court enters them.

Use the Delaware Courts forms repository for the request forms you need. Form ADM_ADM_03_A covers Superior Court criminal file access. Form MISC35 covers JP Court records. Form CF49 handles fee waivers. Form CRF35 is for case continuance.

Key fees for Dover criminal court records:

• Courthouse plain copy: $2 per page
• Certified copy: $15 first three pages
• Dover Police crash report: $25
• Insurance company incident report: $25
• State criminal history: $72

The Delaware Courts locations page lists every courthouse and its hours. The Kent County Family Court page covers juvenile and domestic cases. The Delaware FOIA chapter has the full legal text for public access rules.

Parking and Low-Level Enforcement Records

Not every Dover case is a full criminal court record. Parking tickets, code citations, and small civil fines have their own path. The Dover Police parking enforcement page handles parking matters in the city. Ticket lookup and payment run through a separate system. These files do not show on the statewide court search.

If a parking ticket goes to court for nonpayment, the case can move to JP Court 16. At that point, the case does become part of Dover criminal court records and shows on the court file index. Many drivers pay before it gets to court.

Nearby Cities and Related Resources

Dover is the county seat of Kent County. Neighboring cities and the county page round out the picture for area records.