Access Kent County Police Records

Kent County police records are held by the Sheriff's Office in Chestertown, Maryland. Kent is one of the smallest counties in the state both in area and population, but the sheriff's office still handles a full range of law enforcement records. Getting police records here means filing a request with the sheriff's office directly since there is limited online access. Court cases from Kent County can be searched for free through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. If you need a copy of an incident report, arrest record, or accident file from Kent County, this page covers where to go and what to expect.

Kent County Sheriff's Office Records

Sheriff Casey J. Davis leads the Kent County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 104 Vickers Drive in Chestertown, MD 21620. Call (410) 778-2276 for questions about police records or any other matter. The sheriff's office is the only local law enforcement agency in Kent County, so all police records for the county come from this one office.

Kent County is a small, rural county on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The sheriff's office handles patrol, investigations, court security, and records management. They keep incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and warrant information. If something happened in Kent County and a deputy responded, the report is at this office. The department does not have an online portal for records requests, so you need to go in person, call, or send your request by mail.

The Kent County government website has links to the sheriff's office and other county services.

The county site is a good starting point if you need contact information for other departments in Kent County beyond the sheriff's office.

How to Get Police Records in Kent County

To get Kent County police records, visit the sheriff's office at 104 Vickers Drive in Chestertown. You can also call (410) 778-2276 or mail a written PIA request. The Maryland Public Information Act at §4-101 gives you the right to ask for records from any government agency, including the Kent County Sheriff's Office. You do not need to explain why you want them.

All reports from the Kent County Sheriff's Office cost $5 each. That flat fee makes the cost easy to predict. The standard copy rate under the MPIA is $0.25 per page, but Kent County uses the flat report fee instead. The first two hours of search time are free at most agencies, and the same applies here. If your request takes more than two hours of staff time to fill, the office can charge for the extra work based on the hourly pay of the person doing it.

Under the MPIA, the sheriff's office must respond within 10 working days. Full records must come within 30 days. Keep your request specific. Give names, dates, and case numbers if you have them. Kent County is a small office, so being clear about what you need helps them find the right file quickly.

criminal history checks through the state CJIS system cost $38. That fee is the same across Maryland and covers a fingerprint-based criminal history check.

Types of Kent County Police Records

The Kent County Sheriff's Office keeps several types of police records. Incident reports document calls for service where a deputy responded. Each report includes the date, time, location, and what took place. Arrest records show who was taken into custody and what charges were filed. Accident reports cover motor vehicle crashes that the sheriff's office investigated.

Warrant information is also on file. If you need to know whether someone has an active warrant in Kent County, the sheriff's office can tell you. They also hold records tied to investigations that have been closed. Open investigation files are generally not available to the public under the MPIA because releasing them could interfere with ongoing work.

Kent County Police Records and Maryland Law

The MPIA at §4-201 says you have the right to inspect and copy public records. Police records fall under this rule unless they fit one of the law's exemptions. Records from open investigations, juvenile cases, and certain personnel files may be withheld. If the Kent County Sheriff's Office denies your request, §4-362 gives you the right to ask a court to review that decision.

Anton's Law took effect in October 2021 and changed how police misconduct records work across Maryland. Under the Public Safety Article at §3-101, internal affairs files, hearing records, and disciplinary outcomes are no longer classified as sealed personnel records. The Kent County Sheriff's Office may now release them. They are not required to, but the legal barrier that used to block all access is gone. Kent County also has a Police Accountability Board that reviews complaints against officers.

Expungement rules under §10-101 of the Criminal Procedure Article apply to Kent County police records. If you were found not guilty or had charges dismissed, you can petition to have those records erased. Shielding under §10-306 seals certain older misdemeanor convictions from public view. Once a record is expunged, it will not show up in any search. Shielded records are hidden from the public but still visible to law enforcement.

Kent County Records Online

Kent County has limited online tools for police records. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the best free option for looking up court cases tied to Kent County. It covers criminal, civil, and traffic cases from Circuit and District Courts. You can search by name or case number. The tool shows case information but not the actual police report.

The Maryland Sex Offender Registry covers Kent County and lets you search by name, zip code, or county. The Maryland State Police website has information about crash reports from state troopers. If a state trooper handled the case in Kent County, the report may be with MSP rather than the local sheriff. State police crash reports cost $4 each.

Nearby Counties

Kent County is on the upper Eastern Shore of Maryland. These neighboring counties have their own police records pages.