California Family Code Section 6228* entitles the domestic violence victim to the police report. She should always ask for one and seek a confidential consultation with a civil attorney who handles civil domestic violence cases.
California Family Code Section 6228
(a) State and local law enforcement agencies shall provide, without charging a fee, one copy of all domestic violence incident report face sheets, one copy of all domestic violence incident reports, or both, to a victim of domestic violence, or to his or her representative as defined in subdivision (g), upon request. For purposes of this section, “domestic violence” has the definition given in Section 6211.
(b) A copy of a domestic violence incident report face sheet shall be made available during regular business hours to a victim of domestic violence or his or her representative no later than 48 hours after being requested by the victim or his or her representative, unless the state or local law enforcement agency informs the victim or his or her representative of the reasons why, for good cause, the domestic violence incident report face sheet is not available, in which case the domestic violence incident report face sheet shall be made available to the victim or his or her representative no later than five working days after the request is made.
(c) A copy of the domestic violence incident report shall be made available during regular business hours to a victim of domestic violence or his or her representative no later than five working days after being requested by a victim or his or her representative, unless the state or local law enforcement agency informs the victim or his or her representative of the reasons why, for good cause, the domestic violence incident report is not available, in which case the domestic violence incident report shall be made available to the victim or his or her representative no later than 10 working days after the request is made.
(d) Any person requesting copies under this section shall present state or local law enforcement with his or her identification, such as a current, valid driver’s license, a state-issued identification card, or a passport and, if the person is a representative of the victim and the victim is deceased, a certified copy of the death certificate or other satisfactory evidence of the death of the victim at the time a request is made.
(e) This section shall apply to requests for face sheets or reports made within five years from the date of completion of the domestic violence incident report.
(f) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Access to Domestic Violence Reports Act of 1999.
(g)(1) For purposes of this section, if the victim is deceased, a “representative of the victim” means any of the following:
(A) The surviving spouse.
(B) A surviving child of the decedent who has attained 18 years of age.
(C) A domestic partner, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 297.
(D) A surviving parent of the decedent.
(E) A surviving adult relative.
(F) The personal representative of the victim, as defined in Section 58 of the Probate Code, if one is appointed.
(G) The public administrator if one has been appointed.
(2) For purposes of this section, if the victim is not deceased, a “representative of the victim” means any of the following:
(A) A parent, guardian, or adult child of the victim, or an adult sibling of a victim 12 years of age or older, who shall present to law enforcement identification pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4), and if the victim is 12 years of age or older, a signed authorization by the victim allowing that family member or guardian to act on the victim’s behalf. A guardian shall also present to law enforcement a copy of his or her letters of guardianship demonstrating that he or she is the appointed guardian of the victim.
(B) An attorney for the victim, who shall present to law enforcement identification pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) and written proof that he or she is the attorney for the victim.
(C) A conservator of the victim who shall present to law enforcement identification pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) and a copy of his or her letters of conservatorship demonstrating that he or she is the appointed conservator of the victim.
(3) A representative of the victim does not include any person who has been convicted of murder in the first degree, as defined in Section 189 of the Penal Code, of the victim, or any person identified in the incident report face sheet as a suspect.
(4) Domestic violence incident report face sheets may not be provided to a representative of the victim unless both of the following conditions are met:
(A) The representative presents his or her identification, such as a current, valid driver’s license, a state-issued identification card, or a passport.
(B) The representative presents one of the following:
(i) If the victim is deceased, a certified copy of the death certificate or other satisfactory evidence of the death of the victim at the time of the request.
(ii) If the victim is alive, 12 years of age or older, and not the subject of a conservatorship, a written authorization signed by the victim making him or her the victim’s personal representative.
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