Get the right Chicago crash report and understand what the city’s public crash data can tell you. Start by checking whether Chicago Police or another agency investigated; a crash within Chicago’s boundaries does not automatically produce a CPD report.
LOCAL ROAD SAFETY CONTEXT
Chicago’s crash dataset has a specific coverage boundary
The city’s Traffic Crashes dataset excludes collisions for which CPD was not the responding agency. Its documentation identifies interstate highways, freeway ramps, and roads along the city boundary as common examples. Do not treat a blank spot on this map as evidence that no crash occurred.
Reports can be amended as information becomes available. Compare records using the crash date and location, and keep the dataset’s coverage notes with any analysis. This is historical reporting data, not an active-road clearance system.
Request a Chicago Police crash report
CPD’s official traffic-crash page links to its purchase portal. The portal provides fields for an RD number, first and last name, and crash date. Keep the RD number from your police paperwork available; an insurance claim number is a different identifier.
The department directs requests for reports completed before 2016, paper reports, and other inquiries to its Records Customer Service Section. Use the official page for current contact details and instructions if an online search does not find your report.
CPD crash-report instructions ↗
CPD report search and purchase portal ↗
Check whether Illinois State Police holds the report
For an expressway or ramp collision, read the investigating-agency field before paying for a search. If Illinois State Police investigated, follow the ISP ordering route in our Illinois guide. For a nearby suburb, contact the municipality named on the paperwork.
Save the copy you receive with its retrieval date. If you need to ask about a correction or a later version, refer to the original report identifier rather than assuming a public dataset entry replaces the report.
Current traffic sources: Chicago
Travel Midwest provides regional travel information, including incident and roadway-condition information. Confirm the road number and direction when checking an expressway; a regional alert is not a full account of a CPD investigation.
These links open external traffic services. An automated Chicago feed is not connected to Accident Advisory. Check each source’s update time; a missing alert does not mean that a road is clear. Do not use traffic maps while driving.
Record the roadway, not just its familiar name
- Keep the numbered route and direction alongside any expressway name.
- Note whether the collision occurred on a ramp, frontage road, or main roadway.
- For a city street, record the block or nearest intersection.
- Keep tow-company details, storage invoices, and repair documents with the RD or agency report number.
Continue with your records
Our rental and towing guide and repair-estimate guide help organize costs and documents. Use the Illinois state guide for statewide reporting routes and general lawsuit periods.
Sources checked October 23, 2026. Procedures, fees, and availability may change. Educational information, not legal advice; no attorney review is represented. Call 911 for emergencies. Accident Advisory does not dispatch assistance.