Nantucket Police Records Search

Nantucket County police records come from a small set of agencies that serve this island community about 30 miles off Cape Cod. The Nantucket Sheriff's Office and the Nantucket Police Department handle most law enforcement on the island, with the Massachusetts State Police providing backup when needed. Getting a copy of a police record here means knowing which office to contact and what state laws apply to your request. Whether you need an arrest log, incident report, or crash report, the steps are straightforward. This page walks through the main sources for Nantucket County police records and explains how to search for them.

Nantucket County Sheriff's Office

The Nantucket County Sheriff's Office is at 20 South Water Street, Nantucket, MA 02554. Phone: (508) 228-7263. This is the main county law enforcement office on the island. The sheriff keeps booking records for people taken into custody and manages the county lockup. If someone was arrested and held on Nantucket, the sheriff's office has the intake log with their name, charges, bail amount, and booking date.

Nantucket is the smallest county in Massachusetts by land area. The sheriff's office staff is small too. That means fewer people process records requests. Plan for that. Send your request in writing and give them a week or two to get back to you. Include the full name of the person and any dates you have. The more details you put in, the faster they can find what you need.

The sheriff also works with the Nantucket Police Department on warrant service and prisoner transport. Because the island is only reachable by boat or plane, moving prisoners to mainland courts takes extra coordination. Records tied to those transfers may sit with the sheriff or the court, depending on the stage of the case.

How to Search Nantucket Police Records

Start with the agency that handled the incident. The Nantucket Police Department covers most calls on the island. The State Police picks up some cases too, especially on state roads. If you are not sure which agency responded, try the local department first. They can point you in the right direction.

Massachusetts public records law gives you the right to ask for police records. Under M.G.L. Chapter 66, Section 10, any person can submit a written request to the records access officer at any government agency in the state. That includes all Nantucket County law enforcement offices. Your request should name the record you want. Give dates, names, and case numbers if you have them. The agency must respond within 10 business days. Copies cost $0.05 per page under 950 CMR 32.08. The first two hours of staff search time are free. After that, agencies can charge for the time spent looking for your records, but the rate is capped.

You can submit your request by mail, email, or in person. There is no required form. A simple letter works. Just be clear about what you want.

The State Police request form is the way to go if a trooper handled your case. State Police records do not go through the local department. They have their own process and their own records unit on the mainland.

Use this State Police page to file a request for any incident they handled on Nantucket.

Nantucket County Court Records

Criminal cases from Nantucket go through the Massachusetts Trial Court system. The Nantucket District Court handles misdemeanors and lower-level criminal matters. Serious felony cases may get moved to a Superior Court on the mainland. Court records show charges, plea information, hearing dates, and case outcomes.

Search Nantucket County court records online through MassCourts. The site lets you look up cases by name or docket number. You can see the case status, charges, and scheduled hearings. Full documents like police reports and witness statements are not posted online. For those, contact the court clerk directly. Paper copies at the courthouse run $0.50 per page. The clerk can also tell you if a case has been sealed or if records are restricted for any reason.

Note: Nantucket District Court sessions can be affected by weather and ferry schedules, which may delay some proceedings.

CORI Checks for Nantucket County

Criminal Offender Record Information, or CORI, is the statewide background check system in Massachusetts. The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services runs it. Any arrest or criminal case in Nantucket County feeds into this database. A single CORI check pulls records from all 14 Massachusetts counties at once, so you do not need to run a separate search just for Nantucket.

Check your own CORI through the iCORI online system. The fee is $25. You need a valid government ID to create an account. Results come back fast for personal checks. The system shows convictions, pending cases, and some dismissed charges depending on how old they are. M.G.L. Chapter 6, Sections 167-178 set the rules for who can access CORI and what shows up. Employers and landlords have more limited access than individuals checking their own records.

The DCJIS portal above is where you start an iCORI check or learn more about criminal record access in Massachusetts. Phone: (617) 660-4600.

Nantucket Crash Reports and Other Records

For motor vehicle accident reports on Nantucket, you have a couple of options. The BuyCrash website may have reports filed by local police. Not every department uploads to this system, but it is worth checking. You can search by date, location, or the names of the people involved.

The RMV crash report page is another route, especially for accidents where the State Police responded. The RMV keeps copies of crash reports from across the state. There is a fee for copies. The site walks you through the request steps.

Beyond crash reports, you might want 911 call recordings from an incident on Nantucket. Massachusetts makes these available through a public records request. The 911 recordings request page explains how to ask for a copy. You need to know the approximate date, time, and location of the call. There may be a fee for the recording depending on the format and length.

Nantucket Records Request and Appeals

Put your request in writing. That is the key step. Name the record, the date, and the people involved. Send it to the records access officer at whichever Nantucket agency has the file. You do not need a lawyer. You do not need a special form. A clear letter or email is enough.

If an agency denies your request or does not respond in time, you have options. File an appeal with the Supervisor of Records under M.G.L. Chapter 66, Section 10A. The Supervisor will review the denial and issue a decision within 10 business days. This is a free process. If the Supervisor sides with you and the agency still does not comply, you can take the matter to Superior Court. Under the 2016 public records reform law, courts can order the release of records and may award attorney fees to the requester.

Some Nantucket police records are exempt from disclosure. Active investigation files can be withheld. So can records that fall under the exemptions listed in M.G.L. Chapter 4, Section 7(26). These exemptions cover things like personal safety concerns, informant identities, and certain medical information. If a record is partially exempt, the agency should redact the protected parts and release the rest. They cannot withhold an entire document just because one section is exempt.

Note: Always keep a copy of your written request and any response you get from the agency.

Policing on Nantucket Island

Nantucket is a single-town county. That makes it unusual in Massachusetts. There is one police department for the whole island. The Massachusetts State Police provides backup and handles some highway patrol duties. During the summer months, the island population can triple or even quadruple as tourists arrive. More people means more calls, more incidents, and more police reports getting filed between June and September.

If you are looking for a Nantucket police record from the busy season, expect a longer wait. The department deals with higher volume during those months and records requests can take a bit more time to process. Off-season requests tend to go faster. The island's isolation also plays a role. Evidence and records sometimes need to be sent to mainland labs or courts, which adds to processing times. Keep that in mind when you submit your request.

Nearby Counties

Nantucket County is an island county accessible by ferry from the mainland and from Martha's Vineyard.