Search Nome Census Area Police Records
Police records in the Nome Census Area are maintained by two agencies depending on where an incident occurred. The Nome Police Department handles calls within the City of Nome, while the Alaska State Troopers cover the rest of the census area, including communities like White Mountain, Elim, and Golovin along the Norton Sound coast. The DPS office in Nome provides walk-in access for criminal history requests, and state tools cover court records, sex offender searches, and trooper dispatch reports for the entire region.
Nome Census Area Police Records Overview
Alaska State Troopers Nome Post
The Alaska State Troopers Nome Post is located at 100 E 4th Avenue, Nome AK 99762, and can be reached at (907) 443-2835. This post serves as the main law enforcement contact for the portions of the Nome Census Area outside city limits. It also hosts the DPS walk-in office where residents can submit criminal history requests in person. The post falls under Detachment D, which covers Interior and Western Alaska under Commander Captain Ron Wall at (907) 451-5100.
Troopers from Nome cover a wide territory that includes coastal communities along the Norton Sound and inland villages. Many are accessible only by small aircraft or snowmobile depending on the season. For incident reports from trooper responses anywhere in the census area outside Nome city limits, the Nome Post is your first contact. Submit your request in writing with as much detail as possible about the incident date, location, and any report number you have.
The AST contacts page lists current post information and dispatch numbers for all regions of the state. If you are not sure which post serves a specific community, that page will help. For urgent matters, the Nome Post can connect you with the right contact for any community in its service area.
Note: Nome is the regional service center for the Seward Peninsula. Most law enforcement records for the broader Nome Census Area flow through the Nome Post.
Nome Police Department Records
The Nome Police Department handles all law enforcement inside the City of Nome. If the incident you are looking for happened within city limits, the Nome Police Department holds the relevant records, not the Alaska State Troopers. Contact the Nome Police Department directly for incident reports and police records tied to in-city activity.
For police records held by the Nome Police Department, submit a written request under the Alaska Public Records Act. Include the incident date, location within the city, any case or report number you have, and your contact information. City agencies operate under the same APRA rules as state agencies, with a 10-working-day response window and the same appeal rights if a request is denied.
VPSO programs serve villages outside Nome where troopers do not have a resident post. Elim, Golovin, White Mountain, Shaktoolik, and other small communities along the Norton Sound rely on VPSO coverage coordinated with the Nome AST Post. Records from those incidents may be at the AST post if troopers were involved, or with the VPSO program organization if the incident stayed at the village level.
Alaska Public Records Act Requests in Nome Census Area
The Alaska Public Records Act (AS 40.25.100-295) covers all government agencies in Alaska, including both the Alaska State Troopers and the Nome Police Department. Under AS 40.25.110, public records must be available for inspection during regular office hours. Anyone can make a request. No reason is needed, and there is no residency requirement.
Write out your request. Name the agency, describe the records you need, and provide specific details like dates, locations, and incident numbers. The more detail you include, the faster the agency can find what you are looking for. Submit by mail, in person, or by other accepted methods depending on the agency. Agencies have 10 working days to respond. If they need more time, they must tell you in writing why the delay is happening.
The Alaska Public Records Act official resource explains your rights as a requester and what exemptions apply:
The APRA page at law.alaska.gov covers the full statute and your appeal rights if a request is denied.
Exemptions under AS 40.25.120 protect active investigation files, records that could interfere with a pending case, and certain personal data. If records are withheld, the agency must state which exemption applies. You have 60 working days to appeal to the agency head, and judicial review is available under AS 40.25.125 if the appeal does not resolve the issue.
Note: Even if records are withheld initially due to an active investigation, the same records may become available once the case is closed. Follow up with the agency after a case concludes.
Criminal History Background Checks
Alaska criminal history records are managed at the state level by the Department of Public Safety. The online self-service portal lets individuals request their own record for $20. You need a Social Security number and a valid Alaska driver's license or state ID to submit online. Results are sent by email after processing. The governing statutes are AS 12.62.110-120 and AS 12.62.160-170.
The DPS office in Nome at 100 E 4th Avenue, Nome AK 99762, phone (907) 443-2835, offers walk-in access for criminal history requests. This is a valuable option for Nome residents who prefer to submit in person or who need fingerprint-based services rather than the name-based online search. Fingerprint-based checks are more thorough than name-based searches and reduce the risk of missed records due to spelling variations or incorrect dates of birth at the time of arrest.
Mail-in requests can be sent to the DPS Criminal Records and ID Bureau at 5700 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage AK 99507. Call (907) 269-5767 with any questions about the process. For residents of smaller communities in the Nome Census Area, the online portal or mail-in route is usually the most practical option given the travel distances involved in reaching Nome in person.
Court Records for Nome Census Area Cases
Court cases tied to incidents in the Nome Census Area are searchable through the Alaska Court System's free CourtView tool. Search by name or case number to find cases from the Nome courthouse and courts across the state. No account or fee is required for a basic search.
CourtView shows case-level data like charges, court dates, and dispositions. It does not display the actual documents filed in the case. For document copies, contact the clerk of court at the Nome courthouse. The trial courts page lists all courthouse locations with contact information and hours. Document copy fees are $5 for the first page and $3 per additional page. Certified copies cost $10 for the first page plus $3 each after that. Staff research runs $30 per hour.
Under AS 22.35.030, cases that ended in dismissal or acquittal are removed from public CourtView records 60 days after the case closes. A blank result does not always mean no case was filed. The case may have closed without a conviction and the 60-day removal window has passed. Use form CR-714 to request search warrant records from the clerk's office.
Sex Offender Registry and Trooper Dispatch
The AST Daily Dispatch is a public tool that publishes trooper incident summaries across Alaska. You can search by date range or incident number to find activity logged in the Nome Census Area. The dispatch covers AST responses statewide and gives a useful snapshot of what troopers have handled on a given date. This is not a full records database, but it is a good first step to confirm whether an incident was logged before making a formal APRA request.
The Daily Dispatch at dailydispatch.dps.alaska.gov is searchable by date and incident number:
Use the Daily Dispatch to find trooper activity by date in the Nome Census Area and across the state.
The Alaska Sex Offender Registry covers all registered offenders statewide, including those with addresses in the Nome Census Area. The search is free and can be done by name, address, zip code, city, or registration status. The database has over 3,640 entries. AS 12.63.100 governs registration requirements. HB 66, signed July 2024, added passport numbers and international travel reporting to the requirements. Registration must happen by the next working day after conviction.
Note: The Daily Dispatch covers AST responses only. Incidents handled by the Nome Police Department do not appear in the dispatch reports.
Alaska Department of Corrections Records
Records for individuals who have been held in Alaska correctional facilities are managed by the Alaska Department of Corrections. Contact DOC Records at (907) 465-3485 or mail requests to P.O. Box 112000, Juneau AK 99811-2000. The DOC records page explains what is available and how to submit a request. These records cover all Alaska state correctional facilities, not just those in this region.
Cities in Nome Census Area
No incorporated cities in the Nome Census Area meet the population threshold for a dedicated page. Alaska State Troopers and the Nome Police Department serve this area, with VPSO programs active in smaller communities along the Norton Sound. The City of Nome is the main community but does not reach the threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Records for Nome city incidents can be requested from the Nome Police Department directly.
Nearby Boroughs
These neighboring boroughs and census areas also process police records through the Alaska Public Records Act.