Questions on this page
Does the crash report include the officer video and photos?
No. Ordering the CR-3 does not ordinarily order the whole investigative file. Request photographs, body-camera or dash-camera recordings, witness statements and other existing records separately from the agency that holds them. TxDOT explains that it keeps the crash report, not the investigating agency’s scene recordings and field material. TxDOT records guidance.
For body-camera footage, include the date and approximate time, specific location and name of at least one person known to be a subject. Those particulars matter under the current Texas body-camera request provisions. A broad request for “everything about the accident” may miss them. OAG 2026 Public Information Handbook, pp. 111–112.
How do I ask for 911 or dispatch records?
Submit a written request through the designated public-information channel of the agency or communications center that holds the records. Identify the date, approximate time, location, involved names and incident number if known. Specify the existing records you want, such as 911 audio, computer-aided dispatch entries, call notes and related radio traffic.
Ask for electronic copies and an estimate before charges exceed an amount you choose. Save the request and receipt. If the police agency does not hold dispatch audio, ask which communications center does and send the request there. The Public Information Act does not require an agency to create a new explanation or answer your legal questions. OAG request instructions.
Why might a record be redacted, withheld or unavailable?
The reason matters. A record may never have been created, may be held elsewhere, may no longer exist, or may contain information the law protects. An investigation, privacy protection or a special recording statute can affect disclosure. Being involved in a wreck does not automatically open every record about everyone involved.
Ask the agency to distinguish “we do not have it” from “we have it but are withholding it.” Keep any legal explanation, Attorney General ruling request or ruling, and identify what was released. A pending investigation is not a reason to stop preserving your own evidence.
The state’s public-information procedures and body-camera rules have different requirements and exceptions. Do not assume one universal ten-day delivery rule. OAG 2026 Public Information Handbook.
What if I receive a fee estimate or an incomplete response?
Read the notice immediately and respond by its stated deadline. You may be able to accept the estimate, narrow the time range or record types, request a less expensive method, or challenge an improper charge. Certain cost notices require a timely written response to keep the request alive. Silence can close the request. Government Code §552.2615.
Compare the response with your original list. Jacob Alford’s example in the InjuredTexan.com guide identifies the missing category precisely: “The response includes the CR-3 but not the requested dash-camera recording.” Ask whether that item was withheld, absent or outside the custodian’s records. Do not repeatedly purchase the same report expecting different attachments.
For an unresolved public-information problem, use the Attorney General’s Open Government help. A complaint about access does not itself preserve a separate injury deadline or obtain a court subpoena.
Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026
Disclaimer
Jacob Alford, a Texas personal injury lawyer, and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com provide this guide for general information, not legal advice about your particular claim. You are specifically warned about the dangers of attempting to handle a claim yourself.
In Jacobsen v. Allstate, the Court described Allstate’s own internal research that being represented (having a lawyer) meant a claim typically settled for 2–3 times as much. Allstate’s own research also showed that having a lawyer could multiply a recovery perhaps up to 5 times.
The Court documented the internal workings of Allstate’s training for its adjusters and showed just how rigged talking to Big Insurance can be. Read Allstate’s script and judge for yourself: Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate.
A recorded statement is designed to be used against you, and a verbal settlement can give up valuable rights. Get advice before a voluntary recorded interview or accepting an offer.
You do not need to decide whether to hire a lawyer before asking questions. Jacob Alford and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com offer a free, no-obligation discussion of the process, even if you do not want to hire a lawyer: 210-512-2222. Before you settle, make the free call.
