Find Dorchester County Police Records
Dorchester County police records are held by the Sheriff's Office in Cambridge, Maryland. The office keeps incident reports, arrest logs, and crash data from across the county. You can search for court cases tied to Dorchester County through the state system at no cost. For copies of police reports or other files, you need to send a request to the sheriff's office. Dorchester County sits on the Eastern Shore and is one of the smaller counties in the state, but it still has a full set of law enforcement records going back years. Getting these records starts with knowing who to call and what to ask for.
Dorchester County Police Records Overview
Dorchester County Sheriff's Office Records
The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement agency in the county. Sheriff James W. Phillips, Jr. leads the department. The office sits at 829 Fieldcrest Road in Cambridge, MD 21613. You can call them at (410) 228-4141 or send a fax to (410) 228-3611. This is where all police records for Dorchester County are kept and managed.
Capt. John Stichberry, Jr. serves as the PIA representative for the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office. He handles all records requests that come in under the Maryland Public Information Act. You can reach him by email at jstichberry@docogonet.com. When you file a request, be clear about what you want. List the date, names, or case numbers if you have them. That helps staff find the right files faster and cuts down on wait time. Vague requests may take longer to process or could need follow-up before the office can move forward with pulling your records.
The Dorchester County Sheriff's website gives you a look at what the office does day to day, from patrol to community outreach.
Beyond the main site, there are tools and pages that help you stay up to date on what is going on in Dorchester County law enforcement. The news and alerts page is worth checking if you want to know about recent cases or press releases from the sheriff.
How to Get Police Records in Dorchester County
You have a few ways to ask for police records in Dorchester County. The Maryland Public Information Act, found at §4-101 of the General Provisions Article, gives you the right to request records from any government agency. That includes the sheriff's office. You do not need to say why you want the records. Any person can ask.
To make a request, you can go in person to the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office at 829 Fieldcrest Road in Cambridge. You can also mail your request to that same address. If you prefer email, reach out to Capt. Stichberry directly. Put your request in writing no matter which method you pick. Describe the records you need as clearly as you can. Give dates, names, or any case numbers you have. The office must respond within 10 working days and provide the records within 30 days under the MPIA. Some requests take less time if the files are easy to find and do not need much review.
Copy fees for court records in Dorchester County run $5 for the first page and $0.50 for each page after that. Standard copy fees under the MPIA are $0.25 per page at most agencies. criminal history checks through the state CJIS system cost $38. The first two hours of search time are free. After that, the agency can charge based on the hourly pay of the person who does the work.
Note: Crime victims in Dorchester County may be able to get copies of their own police reports at no cost depending on the type of record.
Types of Dorchester County Police Records
The sheriff's office creates and stores many kinds of police records. Incident reports are the most common. An officer writes one each time they respond to a call. These reports list the date, time, location, and a short summary of what took place. Arrest records show who was taken into custody, the charges filed, and the booking details.
Other records held by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office include:
- Accident and crash reports
- Warrant records
- Inmate and booking records
- Criminal history information
- Incident and call logs
The news and alerts page on the sheriff's website often has press releases tied to recent arrests and major incidents in Dorchester County. This can help you figure out what records exist before you file a formal request.
These alerts give context to what is happening in the county. They are not full police records, but they point you in the right direction.
Police Accountability in Dorchester County
Maryland changed how police disciplinary records work in 2021. Anton's Law, part of the Public Safety Article at §3-101, made it so that internal affairs files are no longer treated as sealed personnel records. Before this law passed, no one outside the department could see those files. Now agencies may release them. They are not forced to, but the door is open. This applies to all law enforcement in Maryland, including the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.
Each county in Maryland now has a Police Accountability Board that reviews complaints and can recommend discipline. Dorchester County is no exception. The board looks at misconduct claims and helps keep the process transparent. Body camera rules also got stronger under this law. If you want to request misconduct records from Dorchester County, you file the same way you would for any other police record. Just be aware that fees for these files can be higher in some parts of the state because of the staff time needed to review and redact them.
Expungement is another part of the picture. Under §10-101 of the Criminal Procedure Article, people who were found not guilty or had charges dropped may be able to get their police records removed. Shielding under §10-306 is a related process that seals certain older misdemeanor convictions from public view. Both options apply to Dorchester County records.
Note: Expunged records in Dorchester County will not show up in public searches, but law enforcement can still see shielded records.
Dorchester County Police Records Online
The best free tool for looking up court cases tied to Dorchester County is the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. It covers all Circuit and District Courts in the state. You can search by name, case number, or court location. The tool shows case details but not full documents. For the actual police report, you still need to go to the sheriff's office.
The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office runs an inmate search tool on their website. This lets you look up people currently held at the Dorchester County Detention Center. The tool shows booking info, charges, and bond amounts. It updates regularly and is free to use.
VINELink is another option. It lets you track an offender's custody status and get alerts when something changes. The Maryland Sex Offender Registry is also free and covers the whole state including Dorchester County. You can search by name, zip code, or county to see if registered offenders live near you.
Dorchester County Records Resources
The resources page on the sheriff's website has links to tools and services tied to Dorchester County law enforcement. You can find forms, contact info for other agencies, and tips for filing records requests. The Meet the Sheriff page has background on Sheriff Phillips and his priorities for the department.
For state-level records, the Maryland State Police Central Records Division handles crash reports from state troopers and statewide crime data. Crash reports from state police cost $4 each. If a state trooper handled the case in Dorchester County, the report may be with MSP instead of the local sheriff.
Note: Always check whether the report you need was filed by the sheriff's office or by state police, as each agency stores its own records separately.
Nearby Counties
Dorchester County borders several other counties on the Eastern Shore. If you need police records from a neighboring area, check these county pages.