How to Check Criminal History in St. Matthews
A complete St. Matthews search follows the record from the city police file to the county and state systems. Begin locally when the event involved SMPD, because LMPD does not hold a report created by the independent St. Matthews department. Then use the later custodian for each stage rather than asking one office to recreate the entire history.
Name spelling alone may not connect every layer. The report number is the strongest key at SMPD, a booking identifier belongs to LMDC, and a case number leads to the clerk's file. Keeping those identifiers with the event date helps distinguish records for people with similar names and makes a follow-up request more precise.
- Contact SMPD Records/Fingerprints with the report number to request the city incident, arrest, accident, CAD, or available media record.
- If the number is unknown, provide enough event detail for staff to identify the report and ask which request method fits the record.
- Check Louisville Metro Department of Corrections for a recent booking after an SMPD arrest, or call the inmate-information line if the roster does not load.
- Search the Jefferson District or Circuit Court case, then request the official file from the Jefferson Circuit Court Clerk when a filed charge or disposition matters.
- Use AOC FastCheck for a broader Kentucky court summary or the KSP subject-review process for fingerprint-supported information on one's own record.
St. Matthews Records in a Dense City
The Census estimated 17,868 St. Matthews residents in 2025. The city covers about 4.38 square miles, and its reported 2020 density was 4,003.2 people per square mile. Those figures are dated reference points, not current police activity totals, but they show why the custodian line matters in a compact city surrounded by the larger Louisville Metro system.
Density should not be read as a crime rate or as evidence about any person, block, or business. Its practical value is jurisdictional: St. Matthews remains an incorporated city with its own police department even though Jefferson County booking and courts serve the later stages of a local arrest.
Retail and health corridors create a wide range of service calls and reports inside this small jurisdiction. An event occurring in St. Matthews may therefore produce an SMPD report even though later booking and prosecution occur through county institutions. The official City of St. Matthews website identifies the municipal government that shares the Grandview Avenue location with the police department.
That city source is the proper starting point for local office information, while Jefferson County and Kentucky sources govern the later record layers.
The St. Matthews Police Department
SMPD and City Hall are at 3940 Grandview Avenue, St. Matthews, KY 40207. Dispatch is 502-893-9000. Records/Fingerprints is 502-899-2537 and provides records service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. A requester should bring the report number because it is the most direct way for staff to locate the correct city file.
The official St. Matthews Police Department page is the source for the department's current local contact and service information.
The city department remains the custodian when SMPD created the report; a later transfer to LMDC does not move the original police narrative to LMPD or the county clerk.
Free St. Matthews Police Reports
Eligibility affects the price of a routine SMPD report. A city resident or a person listed as a party on the report receives the report without charge. A person or business not named in the report pays $5. The department may still restrict information that is confidential or exempt, so payment does not guarantee access to every page or media item.
The city's official records-service instructions explain the local counter, mail, and accident-report choices.
Those instructions make the report number the key identifier and separate a direct city request from the paid BuyCrash accident-report option.
Arrests and Bookings in St. Matthews
St. Matthews does not operate the county booking system. After an SMPD arrest, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections creates the separate intake record. That booking can show custody status, booked charges, bond, and a next court setting when published, but it does not replace the SMPD arrest report or prove guilt.
A booked charge is the arresting officer's intake accusation. The prosecutor may file a different charge, and the Jefferson court file later supplies the disposition. When current custody is the immediate question, use the official LMDC inmate route or call 502-574-8477. For the record sequence and its limits, the county arrest history guide explains how the city report and LMDC booking fit together.
No current LMDC result does not prove that an SMPD arrest never happened. Release, transfer, spelling differences, and the current scope of the roster can all affect visibility. An older event may require the city police report plus the Jefferson court file rather than a current-inmate search.
St. Matthews Record Requests by Mail
A mail request to SMPD needs three concrete items: the filer's name, the report number, and a #10 self-addressed stamped envelope. Omitting the report number can slow identification of the file, while omitting the return envelope prevents the stated mail process from being complete. The request should go to the Grandview Avenue police and City Hall address.
Mail checklist: Include the filer's name, the report number, and a #10 self-addressed stamped envelope before sending the request.
Mail is useful when a counter visit is inconvenient, but it does not change access rules or fees. Call Records/Fingerprints first if the item is video, CAD material, or an investigative file, since scope, format, and exemptions can affect release.
St. Matthews Municipal Court Records
St. Matthews has no municipal court. Kentucky abolished that local court layer, so city ordinance, traffic, misdemeanor, and preliminary felony cases go to Jefferson District Court. Indicted felony cases proceed in Jefferson Circuit Court. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk maintains the official files for both courts, not SMPD or City Hall.
| Court Name | No St. Matthews municipal court; use Jefferson District Court or Jefferson Circuit Court according to case level |
|---|---|
| Case Types Heard | District handles traffic, ordinances, misdemeanors, violations, and felony preliminaries; Circuit handles indicted felonies |
| Case Lookup Channel | Guest CourtNet for public case data, followed by the Jefferson Circuit Court Clerk for the official file |
| What the Docket Shows | Case number, charge, filing and event history, hearings, status, disposition, and sentence where public |
| Copies & Fees | Request copies from the clerk and confirm current charges before ordering; a current official fee schedule was not verified in the research |
A police report and a court docket answer different questions. SMPD describes the reported event and investigation; the court file shows what was actually filed and how each charge was resolved.
Kentucky case codes help connect those stages. A traffic case uses T, a misdemeanor uses M, a preliminary District felony matter uses F, and an indicted Circuit Criminal file uses CR. One St. Matthews event can produce an F case before a later CR case, so both numbers may be needed to follow the outcome.
St. Matthews Record Fees by Format
SMPD policy distinguishes the requester and the delivery medium. Electronic records are provided without charge. A civilian victim or accident party receives a copy without charge. Commercial hard copies cost $5 per report, and commercial CD or DVD copies cost $5. Other paper copies are $0.10 per page, while another disc copy costs $0.50.
| St. Matthews Record Format | Published Charge | Who or What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic record | No charge | Electronic delivery under SMPD policy |
| Civilian victim or accident-party copy | No charge | Listed civilian victim or accident party |
| Commercial hard copy | $5 per report | Commercial requester |
| Commercial CD or DVD | $5 | Commercial media copy |
| Other paper | $0.10 per page | Paper not covered by the categories above |
| Other disc | $0.50 | Disc not covered by the commercial-media rate |
BuyCrash is a separate accident-report alternative and charges $10. A requester should compare that route with a direct SMPD request based on eligibility, desired format, and whether the report number is available.
Where St. Matthews Records End Up
An SMPD event can create several records without creating one master file. The police department retains the incident or arrest report. LMDC creates a booking if the person enters county custody. Jefferson District or Circuit Court creates the prosecution record, and disposition information can later feed Kentucky court and criminal-history systems.
Record flow: St. Matthews Police Department › Jefferson County Courts › Kentucky State Police
For recent city activity, begin with SMPD and LMDC. For filed charges and outcomes, use Guest CourtNet and then the clerk's official case file. AOC FastCheck supplies a broader name-based Kentucky court summary, while Kentucky State Police maintains fingerprint-supported criminal-history information under separate access rules.
St. Matthews Fingerprint Record Service
Records/Fingerprints provides fingerprinting by appointment Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The charge is $10 per fingerprint card. Payment may be made by check, money order, or exact cash; cards are not accepted. Calling 502-899-2537 before arrival confirms the appointment and current service availability.
This local fingerprint-card service is not a public name-search database and does not itself produce a complete criminal history. The agency or program requiring fingerprints determines where the card must go. A person reviewing their own Kentucky criminal-history information should follow the KSP inspection and challenge process rather than treating the city fingerprint appointment as the final report.
St. Matthews Police Record Categories
The form of a request should match the type of SMPD information sought. Potentially releasable categories include accident, incident, and arrest records; investigative files after applicable restrictions; statistical material; digital or video records; and computer-aided dispatch data. Each category has a different purpose and may require different review or redaction.
- Incident record
- The report describing an alleged event, involved parties, responding officers, and available narrative.
- Arrest record
- The police record of a custody action, distinct from the later LMDC booking and court outcome.
- CAD record
- Computer-aided dispatch information documenting call handling and response activity rather than a full investigative narrative.
- Digital or video record
- Electronic media that can require format review, redaction, and a separate reproduction method.
- Investigative file
- Collected material that may become inspectable when an investigation is complete, subject to statutory redactions and exemptions.
Public Access Rules
The Kentucky Open Records Act lets Kentucky residents request existing, nonexempt city police records. It does not require SMPD to create an explanation or new analysis. Active enforcement material, juvenile information, protected personal or safety details, sealed or expunged records, and other exempt content may be withheld. When nonexempt material can reasonably be separated, redaction can permit release of the remainder.
Key Statutes:
KRS 61.872 - Gives Kentucky residents a written procedure to inspect nonexempt public records.
KRS 61.878 - Identifies exemptions that include privacy and active or prospective enforcement concerns.
KRS 17.150 - Opens completed investigative files subject to specified redactions while keeping centralized KSP criminal history outside general public inspection.
KRS 17.151 - Establishes the coordinated Kentucky criminal-history system and access framework.
The Act gives the agency five business days to grant access, deny the request with its legal basis, or explain why more time is necessary and give a production date. That is a response deadline, not a promise that a large St. Matthews police file or redacted video will be delivered within five days.
Judicial records use a different route. A St. Matthews police open-records request cannot substitute for a District or Circuit case file, which must come from the Jefferson Circuit Court Clerk.