Dover Criminal History Records
Dover criminal history records live with the Dover Police Department, Delaware State Police Troop 3, and the Kent County Superior Court at 38 The Green. Arrest reports, charge files, and court dispositions tied to Dover feed up to the State Bureau of Identification on South Bay Road. Residents can pull a Dover criminal history in person at the SBI desk, through CourtConnect online, or by FOIA request to the city. This page walks through the offices, the forms, and the steps to get a record here.
Dover Records Overview
Dover Police Criminal History
The Dover Police Department is the main law agency for the state capital. The force keeps criminal reports, arrest reports, traffic crash reports, traffic citations, and city ordinance summons for calls inside city limits. Phone is (302) 736-7130. Most record pulls start at the Records Unit, which works the front desk of the station during normal business hours.
You can see the department's public page for records at doverpolice.org/records. The unit processes requests for incident reports, accident reports, and Dover criminal records under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act. Staff work hand in hand with the Kent County Sheriff's Office and with Delaware State Police on bigger cases that cross city lines.
Here is the Dover Police records page where the FOIA info lives.
The records unit handles pulls for named parties, not open searches by name alone. You give the subject's full name, date of birth, the incident date, and a case number if you have one. Photo ID is required at the counter. Copy fees apply.
Note: A Dover Police report covers only the city's own cases. For a full Dover criminal history across all agencies, you also need an SBI state check.
Dover Criminal History at Troop 3
Delaware State Police Troop 3 is also based in Dover. The troop covers the Route 13 corridor and major highways in and around the city. Troopers back up Dover PD on serious calls and take the lead on cases outside city limits. Reports from Troop 3 feed into the same statewide file system used by the State Bureau of Identification.
The SBI office that serves the Dover area sits at 655 South Bay Road, Suite 1B, in the Blue Hen Mall and Corporate Center. This is the only SBI office in the state open every weekday without an appointment. Hours run Monday 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM, and Tuesday through Friday 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Phone is 302-739-5871. The counter is a short drive south from the courthouse on The Green.
Fees for a certified Dover criminal history run $52.50 for the state-only check and $69.00 for the state plus federal check. You can pay by cash, credit card, debit card, bank check, money order, or company check. Personal checks are not accepted. You need a valid photo ID such as a driver license or state ID. No Social Security card or birth certificate is needed.
Walk-in service at the Dover SBI desk makes it the fastest option for many Kent County residents. Volunteer fire company checks can be done same day if you tell staff the check type at the start. See the SBI criminal history page for service codes. Booking an IdentoGO slot is still an option if you prefer a set time.
Dover Criminal History at the Courthouse
The Kent County Courthouse at 38 The Green, Dover, DE 19901 houses the Kent County Superior Court. Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. It handles felony criminal cases, civil cases over $50,000, and appeals from lower courts. Phone is (302) 739-5353. The Court of Common Pleas in the same building handles misdemeanors and can be reached at (302) 739-4618.
The court file is the long form of a Dover criminal history for a given case. It holds the charging paper, motions, plea documents, and the sentencing order. The Kent County Prothonotary's Office manages record requests for Superior Court. Public access terminals in the courthouse are open during business hours. You can also pull case data from CourtConnect from home.
Pull a file in person by filling out the Application for Access to Court Records at the Prothonotary counter. You need the defendant's full name, date of birth, case number if you have one, and an estimate of the filing date. Certified copies carry a per-page fee and a certification charge.
Federal matters tied to Dover go through the Delaware Courts system at the state level and the federal district court up in Wilmington. Family Court cases, which include some juvenile files, follow separate access rules. Juvenile records are sealed and do not show on a public Dover criminal history.
Typical items in a Superior Court criminal file:
- Indictment or information
- Arraignment order and plea entry
- Motions and rulings
- Trial minutes or plea transcript
- Sentencing order and restitution
- Any appeal paperwork
Dover Jail and Custody Records
Dover arrestees held past booking go to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, which serves as the primary detention facility for Kent County. The facility runs under the Delaware Department of Correction. Phone for the center is (302) 653-9261. Booking records, charges, and custody status for any Kent County arrest feed into the DOC system.
Families and victims can sign up for alerts through VINE. The service sends notices about custody changes, court dates, and release. It is free and anonymous. DOC staff share broad jail data with victims, the accused, and legal counsel. General public access to jail data is limited, which is why VINE is the standard tool for people tracking a case.
Note: There is a lag between booking at Vaughn and the first filing on CourtConnect. Expect several days before the case shows online.
Dover FOIA and Expungement
Dover criminal records sit under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act at Title 29, Chapter 100. Public bodies must reply within 15 business days. Fees can apply for searches and for copies. Files on open cases, sealed cases, and juvenile matters are not public.
The City of Dover runs a dedicated FOIA portal for city records. Submit a request directly from the site.
The city's portal at cityofdover.gov/FOIA gives you a simple online form for the request. You pick the agency, pick the record type, and give the details. Responses come by email or mail depending on the record.
Expungement of a Dover criminal history falls under Title 11, Chapter 43, Subchapter VII. Section 4373 covers the mandatory track. Section 4374 covers the discretionary track. The path starts with a certified rap sheet pulled at SBI Dover. If SBI finds the case qualifies, the packet goes back to SBI with the signed petition and fees. The Clean Slate Act, which kicked in August 1, 2024, auto-clears some older convictions after a set wait period.
The Delaware Sex Offender Central Registry is a separate public search. You can look by name, address, city, county, or zip code. Kent County residents can set up email alerts for their zip code.
Local Research Help in Dover
The Dover Public Library offers research resources, online databases, genealogy help, and historical newspapers. Staff can point you to Delaware FOIA info and the CourtConnect portal. Public computers are free to use during open hours. For older cases, old court records may show in bound volumes at Delaware Public Archives, a short walk from the library.
The Kent County government site links to the Sheriff's Office, the Recorder of Deeds, and other county offices that may hold adjacent records. A rap sheet is only part of the full picture for many Dover cases. Court files, booking records, and SBI data round out the rest.
Nearby Cities and Counties
Dover is the county seat of Kent County. Other major cities in the region file cases into the same court system and share the SBI desk on South Bay Road.
County Page
For the broader county view of Dover criminal history, visit the Kent County page.