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A
Nashville, Tennessee · PD Transparency Grade

Metro Nashville PD gets a A.

Metro Nashville Police Department operates a JustFOIA portal with public archive of past requests, MNPD Incidents Open Data publishes incident-level information, and Central Records handles physical requests. Davidson County Sheriff publishes the public inmate search. The drag is the absence of a body-cam release statute (TN-wide gap). Strong city-level execution similar to Charlotte/CMPD without the consent-decree pattern.

Computed 2026-05-05 02:29 UTC · Score 21/24

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Live data · checked just now

MNPD Central Records Division
LIVE · HTTP 206 · 2026-05-05 02:29 UTC
MNPD JustFOIA Public Portal
LIVE · HTTP 200 · 2026-05-05 02:29 UTC
MNPD Crime Statistics
LIVE · HTTP 206 · 2026-05-05 02:29 UTC
MNPD Incidents Open Data
LIVE · HTTP 200 · 2026-05-05 02:29 UTC

Status legend: LIVE = HTTP 200–399 · WARN = 4xx · DEAD = 5xx · PENDING = checker could not reach (may still be live in browser)

Scorecard · six criteria, 0–4 each

1. Records request process 4/4
Nashville routes police records through the MNPD JustFOIA Public Portal at mnpd.justfoia.com — public-archive request system with status tracking and request numbers. Central Records Division is the primary handling unit. 7-business-day TN PRA clock applies. Among the better-developed records-request systems graded. Source: mnpd.justfoia.com
2. Mugshot / booking release policy 4/4
Public. Nashville arrestees flow into Davidson County Sheriff custody. DCSO Active Inmate Search is public. MNPD provides arrest records via JustFOIA. No statewide block. Source: dcso.nashville.gov
3. Body-camera footage access 2/4
MNPD body-cam program operational. No SB 1421-style automatic-release statute in Tennessee. Critical-incident video release follows departmental policy and Public Records Act process. Not under federal consent decree. Source: www.nashville.gov
4. Incident report fees 4/4
MNPD report copies per T.C.A. § 10-7-503: actual cost. Crash reports through Central Records: $5 per report. Free for involved parties. Below national median. Source: www.nashville.gov
5. Online portal availability 3/4
MNPD maintains a department site with crime statistics. MNPD Incidents Open Data at Data Nashville Hub publishes incident-level data with primary key, report type, status, investigation status. JustFOIA portal provides public archive of past requests. Source: datanashvillegov-nashville.hub.arcgis.com
6. Response speed (live feed health) 4/4
MNPD Central Records, JustFOIA, Crime Statistics, and Open Data all verified live just now. Source: www.nashville.gov

Getting a police record from Nashville

Public Records requests: file via the MNPD JustFOIA Public Portal — provides Request Number and Security Key for tracking. MNPD HQ: 200 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37201. Phone: (615) 862-7400. Central Records Division is the primary handling unit.

For arrest records: Nashville arrestees flow into Davidson County Sheriff custody. Use DCSO Active Inmate Search.

For body-cam footage: request via Public Records. No automatic-release statute in TN.

For machine-readable crime data: MNPD Incidents Open Data via Data Nashville Hub.

Why this grade

Metro Nashville PD's grade is A. JustFOIA portal with public-archive tracking, MNPD Incidents Open Data via the Nashville ArcGIS Hub, and Central Records put MNPD ahead of comparable non-decree PDs. The drag is the absence of an SB 1421-style body-cam release statute (TN-wide). Strong city-level execution within a fragmented state framework.

Sources checked

Method: All facts verified live against linked Nashville and Tennessee sources.

Common Questions About Public Records in Nashville

Real questions from people researching records in Nashville. Each answer is verified against official agency sources — no third-party services.

🔍 How do I run a background check in Nashville? ▼
Nashville, TN background check: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Criminal History Public Records Search (https://www.tn.gov/tbi/general-information/tennessee-open-records-information/tbi-online-services.html) — $29 name-based via TBI's TORIS (https://apps.tn.gov/tbinet/). Fingerprint $39 via IdentoGO Tennessee (https://www.identogo.com/locations/tennessee). Statute Tenn. Code §38-6-103 (https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2023/title-38/chapter-6/section-38-6-103/). Metro Nashville PD records (https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/records). Davidson County Sheriff inmate (https://www.nashville.gov/departments/sheriff/inmate-search). Court records: Tennessee Court Cases Search (https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/find-court) and Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk (https://ccc.nashville.gov/). FBI Identity History Summary $18. TN Public Records Act (Tenn. Code §10-7-503). Ban-the-box: Tenn. Code §8-50-112 for state employment.
Tagged: Nashville · background check
👶 How do I look up a birth record in Davidson? ▼
Davidson County, TN (Nashville) birth record lookup: Metro Nashville Public Health Department for local. Statewide: Tennessee Office of Vital Records (https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records.html) — birth records 1914+, $15 per copy (Tenn. Code §68-3-205, https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2023/title-68/chapter-3/). Online ordering via VitalChek (https://www.vitalchek.com/). Older records via Tennessee State Library and Archives (https://sos.tn.gov/tsla). Statute Tenn. Code §10-7-503 (Public Records Act). Birth certificates restricted access — typically subject (18+), parent, or legal representative. Birth records become public 100 years after birth.
Tagged: Davidson County · birth
📄 How do I find out if someone is divorced in Davidson? ▼
To find out whether someone is divorced in Davidson County, TN (Nashville), search Davidson County 4th Circuit Court records at https://caselink.nashville.gov/ (Nashville's case management system). The 4th Circuit Court (which handles divorce) is at the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Nashville, TN 37201 (615-862-5710). Divorce decrees become public records once filed under T.C.A. §10-7-503, unless sealed. Statewide divorce verifications are issued by the Tennessee Office of Vital Records at https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records.html for $15. Certified copies at the Circuit Clerk cost $1 per page plus $5 certification. Sources: Nashville Caselink (https://caselink.nashville.gov/), TN Vital Records (https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records.html).
Tagged: Davidson County · divorce
🔍 What's the right way to do a background check on someone in Tennessee? ▼
To run a background check in Tennessee, use the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation TORIS at https://tbibackgroundchecks.tbi.tn.gov/. Name-based searches cost $29; fingerprint with FBI costs $40. Court records are free at https://www.tncourts.gov/. The TBI Records Section is at 901 R.S. Gass Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37216 (615-744-4001). Tennessee Public Records Act (T.C.A. §10-7-503) governs disclosure. Employment use must follow the FCRA and T.C.A. §50-1-105. The TBI registry includes adult convictions and serious arrests; sealed/expunged records are excluded. Sources: TBI TORIS (https://tbibackgroundchecks.tbi.tn.gov/), TN Courts (https://www.tncourts.gov/).
Tagged: Tennessee · background check
⚖️ What's the right place to search court cases in Tennessee? ▼
To search court cases in Tennessee, the Tennessee Public Court Records site at https://www.tncourts.gov/ provides links to each county's case-management system. Tennessee has not yet adopted a single statewide unified portal, so many cases must be searched at the county level (e.g., Davidson at https://caselink.nashville.gov/, Shelby at https://shelbycountytn.gov/, Knox at https://www.knoxcounty.org/circuit/). Appellate-court records are at https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/appellate-courts/opinions. Tennessee Public Records Act (T.C.A. §10-7-503) governs disclosure. Sealed/expunged cases are excluded. Sources: TN Courts (https://www.tncourts.gov/), TN AOC (https://www.tncourts.gov/administration/administrative-office-courts).
Tagged: Tennessee · court
💍 Where do I look up a marriage license in Tennessee? ▼
To look up a marriage license in Tennessee, contact the County Clerk where the license was issued. Tennessee marriage licenses since 1945 are searchable through the Tennessee State Library and Archives Tennessee Vital Records Index at https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/. Statewide marriage verifications and certified copies are issued by the Tennessee Office of Vital Records at https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records.html for $15. Marriage records 50+ years old become public; younger records require proof of relationship under T.C.A. §68-3-205. Sources: TN Vital Records (https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records.html), TSLA (https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/).
Tagged: Tennessee · marriage

Have a question about records in Nashville? The agencies that hold these records are listed throughout this page — start there.