Support Services

The State of Montana requires all Sexual and Violent Offenders, as ordered by the courts, to register with the police department under whose jurisdiction they reside and/or work. Once an offender is officially residing or working within Lewis and Clark County, they must report to the Helena Police Department within three (3) business days to register. During the registration process, the Helena Police Department is responsible for collecting the following from each registrant:

• Personal information and description of physical identifiers
• Photographs of the face and any scars, marks, or tattoos
• A set of fingerprints
• Registrant’s place of residence
• Registrant’s place of employment
• Registrant’s school enrollment information (if applicable)
• A $15.00 enrollment fee

Please register at the police department located at 406 Fuller Ave, 1st Floor. If you have any questions, you may contact Records at 406-447-8469.

More information or to locate an offender in your area please see the State of Montana’s SVOR page.

A call for service (CFS) is the initial report generated by the 911 Communications Center when either an emergency or non-emergency call is made for law enforcement, fire, medical, or other public safety reasons. CFS numbers are created sequentially by date. For example, CFS number 051119-120 would be the 120th call for service on May 11, 2019. A call for service will contain the date and time of an incident, the officers involved, and a brief description of the incident.

Call for Service reports are disseminated by Support Services as our releasable public record information according to state law and are available free of charge. Confidential personal and private information such as driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, phone numbers, etc. are redacted from the report. All juvenile information, including the name, will be redacted. All medical information will be redacted in compliance with federal HIPAA requirements.

As of June 15th, 2023, there is a $5.00 fee for a CFS. Please allow 3 to 6 weeks processing time for multiple searches and batch records. Fee is not applicable to other law enforcement agencies. 

Case reports contain the full police report(s) written by the officer or officers who worked on a given incident. Depending upon the incident, there may or may not be a case report filed; in many cases, there may only be a call for service record. Case reports are filed by agency and start with a letter designation, such as HP190914 (Helena Police Report) or LC190914 (Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Report).

Case reports and any supplemental information filed by an officer in a case are generally considered “confidential criminal justice information”, as defined in state law, and may not be released to the public, except under certain circumstances. If you require a copy of a case report, you need to get a court order from a judge.  

Upon approval of a court order, there is a $15.00 charge for reports. 

Crash reports are filed by the Helena Police Department for vehicle crashes within the City of Helena. For crashes occurring outside the city limits, or investigated by another agency, contact the Montana Highway Patrol at (406) 444-3278.

Crash reports may only be disseminated to the person(s) listed on the report written by the assigned police officer, including property owners, insurance companies, vehicle drivers, vehicle owners, etc. Reports can be picked up in person at the Law Enforcement Center, or by mail. There is a fee to obtain a copy of a crash report. If requested through the mail, the following must be included in the request:

• a copy of their driver’s license
• a self-addressed, stamped envelope
• a check made out to the Helena Police department for $15.00

If insurance agencies or attorneys request crash reports and are not listed as an involved party on the report, requests must be accompanied by an authorization to release form or assignment of rights, signed by the party involved. Request must be submitted on company letterhead, to ensure identity.

Crash reports can also be obtained through CrashDocs.org. 

The Support Services Records Division WILL NOT fax call for service or crash reports records due to the uncertainty of the recipient’s fax, and due to the costs involved in doing so.

For a full background check, you will need to contact the State of Montana, Records and ID Bureau at 406-444-3625.

In accordance with Helena City Ordinance 5-11-7, any business or residence within Helena City limits that is monitored by an alarm company must obtain an Alarm Permit through the Helena Police Department. This is to ensure that in the case of an alarm activation, responding officers are able to reach the correct point of contact without delay, and also to make certain billing for false alarms is done without incident. Billing for false alarm activations are mailed with your water bill from the City of Helena.

To obtain an Alarm Permit, either come to the Law Enforcement Center to obtain application materials, or complete the application located here(PDF, 53KB). Return the completed application, along with the $50.00 alarm permit fee in person, or mail to:

     Support Services Division
     Alarm Permits
     406 Fuller Ave
     Helena, MT 59601

Alarm permits are valid for five years. With your permit, you will receive:

• Two window stickers to display on your home or business
• A certificate of approval
• A copy of your original application
• An alarm permit packet, containing information you need to know about permits
• A receipt of payment

Alarm Permit Applications are available online or at the Law & Justice Center. Any questions about alarm permitting, you can contact Support Services at (406) 447-8469.