Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Wisconsin

Most police reports in WI are public and can be obtained (for a fee) by just walking into to your local police department, or by making a written request under WI open records laws. The tricky part, however, is often figuring out which law enforcement agency responded to the scene of an accident. Many populous counties of the state have 50 or more different local police departments for the respective cities, townships, villages, etc., in addition to their county sheriff's department. The WI State Patrol also responds to accidents statewide, but tends to concentrate its work more on state or federal highways. An experienced lawyer in your area will have many tools which could assist in tracking down this particular accident so you should consult with one if you cannot find the report on your own. If the accident was reported to your insurance company, you should also be able to get copies of information in their possession. However, not all minor accidents are reported formally. Please do not assume that I am your attorney because of my response here, but feel free to call my office in Racine (262-633-3090 or email [email protected]) for clarifications regarding my answer. Otherwise, under the rules of this website, I would not be taking any further action on your case. See me on the web at www.jayknixonlaw.com. View my past answers at http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/53401-wi-jay-nixon-1529181/answers.html?sort=recency , or see an even larger collection of responses at http://www.lawguru.com/answers/search/attorney/jknixon, . Answers may contain attorney advertising materials..