Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Salem is a city in Washington County, Indiana, with about 6,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Salem offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Salem, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests and Questions.
City or county record: where Salem records are kept
- Kept by the City of Salem: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Washington County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Washington County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Salem police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Salem police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Salem police records.
- Website: cityofsalemin.com/index.php/government/police-dept (page title: City of Salem Police Department)
- Phone: (812) 883-1634
- Address: 38 Public Square Salem, IN 47167
- Hours: Monday through Friday 4P.M. - 6P.M.
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Washington County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Salem City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: cityofsalemin.com/index.php/contact (page title: Contact the City of Salem Indiana)
- Phone: 812-883-4265
- Address: 201 East Market Street Salem, IN 47167
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Salem
Indiana public records law applies to the city government of Salem. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Salem website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Salem offices listed above, and the city's own website is cityofsalemin.com; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Salem?
Request it from the Salem police records unit at cityofsalemin.com, phone (812) 883-1634. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Salem?
Salem cases are heard by the courts that serve Washington County, and people arrested in Salem are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Washington County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Salem?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Indiana public records law applies to city governments.