Police reports document law enforcement contact and may be relevant to domestic violence allegations, child safety concerns, substance abuse, criminal history, and other issues that affect parenting and legal decision making determinations.

Police reports are public records in most circumstances and can be obtained through a public records request. They are a form of business record that can typically be authenticated and admitted at trial.

Under the Alec and Lydia Act prior acts of domestic violence are now broadly admissible in family court even if they predate the current case, were previously litigated, or could have been raised in a prior proceeding. This makes police reports from earlier in the relationship potentially relevant evidence that was previously excluded on procedural grounds.