Lehigh County Police Blotter Records and Incident Reports
Lehigh County police blotter records track law enforcement activity across one of Pennsylvania's most populous counties. Located in the Lehigh Valley region with Allentown as the county seat, Lehigh County has a population of roughly 385,000 residents. The Lehigh County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna serves as the primary county-level law enforcement agency. The police blotter covers arrests, incidents, and public safety activity filed by multiple agencies operating throughout Lehigh County.
Lehigh County Quick Facts
Lehigh County Sheriff's Office
The Lehigh County Sheriff's Office is based at Courthouse Room 253, 455 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101. Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna leads the office. The main phone number is 610-782-3175. The Sheriff's Office provides county-level law enforcement services and handles public records requests tied to the Lehigh County police blotter.
Sheriff Hanna's office handles a broad set of duties in Lehigh County. These include serving civil and criminal process documents, enforcing Protection from Abuse orders, providing courthouse security, managing prisoner transport, conducting fugitive apprehension operations, overseeing sheriff sales, and processing concealed carry permits. The fugitive apprehension function is one of the more visible roles the Sheriff's Office plays in the Lehigh County public safety system. When outstanding warrants are executed, those actions add entries to the Lehigh County police blotter.
The Lehigh County Sheriff's Office page at lehighcounty.org outlines the full range of law enforcement services including fugitive apprehension, sheriff sales, and concealed carry permit processing. Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna's office at Courthouse Room 253 in Allentown handles all public records requests for police blotter and law enforcement records in Lehigh County.
| Office |
Lehigh County Sheriff's Office Courthouse Room 253 455 West Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 18101-1614 Phone: 610-782-3175 |
|---|---|
| Sheriff | Joseph N. Hanna |
| Website | lehighcounty.org/Departments/Sheriffs-Office |
Lehigh County Right-to-Know Requests
Requesting police blotter records in Lehigh County starts with Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104. Lehigh County processes public records requests through its Law Department. The county has a dedicated Right-to-Know page that guides requesters through the process from start to finish.
Lehigh County's Right-to-Know page through the Law Department provides clear guidance on requesting public records including police blotter and law enforcement records. Residents and requesters can submit RTK requests through the Lehigh County Law Department for access to police blotter records under Pennsylvania law.
Once you submit a Right-to-Know request in Lehigh County, the agency has five business days to respond. They may grant the request, deny it with a stated reason, or request a short extension of up to 30 days. If a request is denied, you can appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov. The Office of Open Records handles appeals from all 67 Pennsylvania counties, including Lehigh County, and provides free assistance to requesters at no charge.
Note: Be specific in your request -- include date ranges, incident numbers, or officer names if you have them to help the Lehigh County Law Department locate records quickly.
What the Lehigh County Police Blotter Covers
Lehigh County is a densely populated county with multiple active law enforcement agencies. The Allentown Police Department handles incidents within city limits. Bethlehem, which straddles Lehigh and Northampton counties, has its own police force. Smaller borough and township departments operate throughout the rest of Lehigh County. The Pennsylvania State Police covers areas without local police coverage. All of these agencies generate records that together form the Lehigh County police blotter.
A typical police blotter entry for Lehigh County includes the incident type, date, time, and general location. Arrests are listed along with the charges filed. These entries are often published by local news sources within Lehigh County. For the original records, submit a Right-to-Know request to the agency that handled the incident. For incidents involving the Pennsylvania State Police in Lehigh County, check the Public Information Release Reports at pa.gov/agencies/psp.
Lehigh County Court Records and Case Lookups
Criminal case records in Lehigh County are handled by the Court of Common Pleas. After an arrest appears in the police blotter, the case moves to the court system and becomes a separate public record. You can find Lehigh County court cases using the Unified Judicial System portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. This free tool lets you search by name or case number for any county in Pennsylvania.
The UJS portal shows current case status, charges filed, scheduled hearings, and outcomes. It is a direct link between the Lehigh County police blotter and the court record that follows each arrest. For full docket details and certified copies, contact the Lehigh County Prothonotary at the courthouse in Allentown. More information on Pennsylvania's court system is available at pacourts.us.
The Pennsylvania PATCH system at epatch.pa.gov allows name-based criminal history searches across all Pennsylvania counties including Lehigh County. Each search costs $22 and reflects convictions recorded under 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91.
Cities in Lehigh County
Allentown is the largest city in Lehigh County and serves as the county seat. It is also the third largest city in Pennsylvania. The Allentown Police Department maintains its own police blotter records separate from the county Sheriff's Office. You can visit the Allentown city page for more details on local law enforcement records.
Nearby Counties
Lehigh County borders four other Pennsylvania counties. If you need police blotter records for a neighboring area, use the links below to find the right county page.