Luzerne County Police Blotter and Incident Records
The Luzerne County police blotter covers incidents reported by law enforcement agencies across this large northeastern Pennsylvania county. The county seat is Wilkes-Barre, and the county has roughly 320,000 residents spread across urban neighborhoods, small boroughs, and rural townships. The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office, Wilkes-Barre city police, and many municipal departments all generate police blotter records in Luzerne County. This page explains where to find those records and how to request them.
Luzerne County Quick Facts
Luzerne County Official Portal
The Luzerne County official portal at luzernecounty.org provides access to county government news, Sheriff's Department updates, and public safety notices for county residents.
Public safety notices and Sheriff's Department news are regularly published through the portal, making it a key resource for Luzerne County police blotter information. The portal links to department contacts, public notices, and press releases from county law enforcement. It is updated regularly with news from the Sheriff's Office and other county departments involved in public safety. Bookmark the portal to stay informed about law enforcement activity in Luzerne County. The county's mailing address for general correspondence is 200 North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711.
Luzerne County Sheriff Sales and Public Records
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Sale page provides public notice of court-ordered property sales conducted by the Sheriff's Office in Wilkes-Barre.
Sheriff sale listings are part of the public record maintained by Luzerne County and are accessible through the county's official web portal. Sheriff sales take place when a court orders the forced sale of a property to satisfy a judgment or mortgage foreclosure. The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office carries out these sales and posts public notice in advance. Sale listings appear at luzernecounty.org/155/Sheriffs-Sale and are updated as new sales are scheduled. These civil enforcement records run parallel to the criminal police blotter and reflect the full scope of the Sheriff's public duties in Luzerne County.
Note: Sheriff sale records are civil in nature and are separate from criminal police blotter entries. Both are public records in Luzerne County, but they are maintained by different offices.
Luzerne County Sheriff's Office Services
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office handles a wide range of law enforcement duties beyond criminal patrol work. Civil process, warrant service, prisoner transport, and court security all fall under the Sheriff's responsibilities. The Sheriff also processes License to Carry Firearms applications for Luzerne County residents. Background checks are required for all LTC applications and are processed through state and federal databases.
For police blotter records held at the county level, contact the Sheriff's Office through the county portal at luzernecounty.org. For incident reports from the Wilkes-Barre City Police or any other municipal police department in Luzerne County, contact that department directly. Each local agency maintains its own records. The county Sheriff is not the custodian of municipal police department reports in Luzerne County.
The Pennsylvania State Police cover rural townships in Luzerne County that do not have their own police departments. State Police Troop P, headquartered in Blooming Grove, handles calls across portions of Luzerne County. If an incident occurred in a rural area of Luzerne County, the State Police are likely the agency to contact for records.
Requesting Police Blotter Records in Luzerne County
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law at 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104 gives the public the right to request records from government agencies, including all law enforcement bodies in Luzerne County. Agencies must respond within five business days. You can submit requests in writing, by email, or in person.
To request records from the Luzerne County Sheriff's Office, prepare a brief written request. Describe the type of record, give a date range, and include any names or case numbers you know. Send it to the Sheriff's Office in Wilkes-Barre. The office will confirm whether the records exist and let you know if any portions are exempt from release. Exemptions typically cover active investigations and information that identifies juvenile victims in Luzerne County cases.
For State Police records covering Luzerne County, use the online RTK portal at pa.gov. The State Police also publish public information release reports at pa.gov/agencies/psp. These reports summarize State Police activity across Pennsylvania, including Luzerne County, on a regular schedule.
If a Luzerne County agency denies your Right-to-Know request, file an appeal with the Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov within 15 business days. There is no fee to appeal. The Office of Open Records resolves most appeals without a formal hearing.
Luzerne County Court Records
Arrests and incidents that appear on the Luzerne County police blotter often lead to charges in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas or before a Magisterial District Judge. Both levels of court are searchable at no cost through the Unified Judicial System Portal.
Go to ujsportal.pacourts.us to search dockets for Luzerne County by name or case number. Docket sheets show charges, bail, court dates, and the final outcome of a case. The system covers both open and closed cases going back many years in Luzerne County. The Pennsylvania Courts website at pacourts.us offers guidance on the court system and how to locate the correct court for your Luzerne County matter.
For certified court documents in Luzerne County, contact the Clerk of Courts at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. Copy fees apply for certified documents. Criminal history records are available through the PATCH system at epatch.pa.gov for a $22 fee. Under 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91, the record covers all arrests and dispositions from Pennsylvania courts, including the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Nearby Counties
Luzerne County borders seven other Pennsylvania counties. Incidents near a county boundary may be handled by an agency in a neighboring county. Always verify which agency responded before submitting a records request.