Berks County Crime Numbers
The Pennsylvania State Police collates crime statistics for all the counties in the Commonwealth. Its latest crime data for Berks County are for 2017. In that year, the county recorded 1,078 violent crimes and 6,152 property crimes. Compared to the figures for 2013, violent crime rate dipped by 11.7% while property crime rate shrank by 20.7%. A closer look at the reported Part I crimes for 2017 shows that there were 13 murders, 151 rapes, 295 robberies, and 619 aggravated assaults. Berks County also recorded 1,245 burglaries, 4,509 larceny thefts, 369 motor vehicle thefts, and 29 arsons in 2017.
The most recent five-year crime trend for the county shows thatthe only crimes to record higher numbers in 2017 compared to 2013 were murder (18.2%) and rape (58.9%). In the same period, robbery, burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft rates fell by 29.4%, 33.6%, 15.8%, and 22.5% respectively while reports of aggravated assault and arson reduced by 11.2% and 48.2% respectively.
Berks County Criminal Records
Contact the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to request a background check for an individual in Berks County. The PSP’s records provide statewide criminal history checks and the public can request these online and by mail. Submit an online request by visiting the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) website.
To order a background check by mail, download the Criminal History Request Form (SP4-164). Organizations requesting criminal history reports for volunteers should get the Criminal History Request Form – Volunteer Only (SP4-164A). Download and complete an Individual Access and Request Form (SP4-170) to obtain a personal criminal history report. Send the completed form to:
Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository - RCPU
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758
While background checks for volunteers ordered through SP4-164A are free, the PSP charges $22 for requests submitted using the SP4-164 form. To obtain a notarized criminal history report, include an additional $5. Each report requested with a SP4-170 form costs $20. Fees are payable with money orders made out to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Berks County Sheriff’s Office provides security for the County Court of Common Pleas and enforces its orders. It also handles inmate transport and traffic violations. Each of the city, boroughs, and towns of Berks County has a police department that fulfills primary law enforcement duties. Contact these police departments for incident and accident reports for events that occurred in their jurisdictions. Use the contact list of police departments published on the Berks County website to reach these law enforcement agencies.
Berks County Sex Offender Information
Pennsylvania law empowers the State Police to maintain a database of registered sex offenders living, working, and attending institutions of higher learning in the Commonwealth. The PSP makes this registry available to, and searchable by, the public on the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law website. To find offenders residing in Berks County, visit the County Search page and select Berks from the drop-down list. You can also click Berks County on the Pennsylvania map provided on the page to see a complete list of registered sex offenders in the county.
Berks County Inmate Search
A Berks County Inmate Search can offer inquirers information about detainees held in the county’s correctional facility. These searches can be performed by making in-person queries to the overseeing agencies. The Berks County Jail System is the only correctional facility in the county. Its address is 1287 County Welfare Rd, Leesport, PA 19533 and its phone number is (610) 208-4800. To fund inmates’ accounts, friends and family should use the inmate banker kiosks in the lobby of the Berks County Jail System. This location is available from Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Cash and credit card deposits are accepted at these kiosks.
It is also possible to fund inmate’s accounts by sending government checks, payroll checks with stubs, and money orders by mail. Send these to:
Inmate Accounts Department
Berks County Jail System
1287 County Welfare Road
Leesport, PA 19533
Make sure to include inmate name, inmate number and purchaser’s name and address when sending a money order. There is a $300 single-transaction limit when funding inmates’ accounts by mail or via the kiosks.
Berks County Court Records
The courts in Berks County are part of the 23rd Judicial District of Pennsylvania. The main trial court is the Berks County Court of Common Pleas. It has a Civil and Criminal Division in addition to a separate Family Court and a Domestic Relations Section. Each division generates and maintains Berks County Court Records in keeping with the state’s provisions on public records. Its address is:
Berks County Courthouse
633 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601
The Clerk of Courts maintains the records of the Criminal Division while the Prothonotary maintains civil case records. Listed below are contact information for both court officials:
Berks County Clerk of Courts
633 Court Street - 4th Floor
Reading, PA 19601
Phone: (610) 478-6550
Fax: (610) 478-6570
Berks County Prothonotary
Berks County Courthouse, 2nd Floor
633 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601
Phone: (610) 478-6970
Contact these officials to request copies of the records of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas. Visit the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania web portal to access criminal case dockets. To access civil and family court case dockets, head to the Berks County Civil System.
Besides the Court of Common Pleas, there are 18 Magisterial District Courts all over Berks County. Their addresses, presiding judges, business hours, and contact information are:
Central Arraignment Court
633 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601
Phone: (610) 478-6456
Fax: (610) 478-6607
Hours: 7-day / 24-hour coverage
Ann L. Young
600 East Penn Avenue - Suite 5
Wernersville, PA 19565
Phone: (610) 678-6721
Fax: (610) 678-9835
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Carissa L. Johnson
1150 Muhlenberg Street
Reading, PA 19602
Phone: (610) 374-9288
Fax: (610) 374-3079
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Kyley L. Scott
101 North 9th Street
Reading, PA 19601
Phone: (610) 378-5101
Fax: (610) 378-0441
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Alvin B. Robinson
633 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601
Phone: (610) 373-2127
Fax: (610) 373-2635
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Dean R. Patton
3200 Reading Crest Avenue
Reading, PA 19605
Phone: (610) 929-4440
Fax: (610) 921-3625
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Stuart D. Kennedy
441 Morgantown Road
Reading, PA 19611
Phone: (610) 375-7101
Fax: (610) 375-7144
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Eric J. Taylor
401 Walnut Street
West Reading, PA 19611
Phone: (610) 374-7721
Fax: (610) 374-7769
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sandra L. Fegley
10 Fairlane Road
Reading, PA 19606
Phone: (610) 779-5137
Fax: (610) 779-4681
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
David L. Yoch
1786 Welsh Road
Mohnton, PA 19540
Phone: (610) 777-3885
Fax: (610) 796-0227
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
David E. Glass
321 North Furnace Street - Suite 180
Birdsboro, PA 19508
Phone: (610) 582-8615
Fax: (610) 582-2598
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Michael G. Hartman
100 Schaeffer Street - Suite 2
Boyertown, PA 19512
Phone: (610) 367-2357
Fax: (610) 369-0264
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Steven M. Chieffo
26 Scholl Drive
Oley, PA 19547
Phone: (610) 987-3344
Fax: (610) 987-3067
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Gail M. Greth
110 W. Arch Street - Suite 118
Fleetwood, PA 19522
Phone: (610) 944-7202
Fax: (610) 944-5471
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Brian K. Strand
2739 Bernville Road
Leesport, PA 19533
Phone: (610) 916-4496
Fax: (610) 916-1662
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Kim L. Bagenstose
61 North 3rd Street, 2nd Floor
Hamburg, PA 19526
Phone: (610) 562-4364
Fax: (610) 562-5962
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Andrea J. Book
7191 Bernville Road
Bernville, PA 19506
Phone: (610) 488-6224
Fax: (610) 488-0579
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tonya A. Butler
2312 Fairmont Avenue
Suite 500
Reading, PA 19605
Phone: (610) 373-4424
Fax: (610) 373-8297
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Docket sheets for these courts are also available on the web portal of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Simply select Berks from the County drop-down menu and then aMagisterial District Court from the Court Office list.
Use the Request for Access Form to request for copies of the records of the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts. Submit the completed form to the Clerk of Court (criminal cases), the Prothonotary (civil and family cases), or court that tried the case you want to access.
Berks County Vital Records
The Prothonotary’s Office maintains divorce records for Berks County. You can request copies of your divorce decree from this office by submitting a completed Request for Access Form to:
Berks County Prothonotary
Berks County Courthouse, 2nd Floor
633 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601
Call the Prothonotary’s Office at (610) 478-6970 to get more information and ask about copy fees.
The Berks County Register of Wills provides copies of marriage, birth, and death records on request. To obtain any of these records, send a written request stating the type of records you want, your email address, and confirmation that you found the records in the records database of the Register of Wills. Include a check or money order for copy fees. Make check payable to Register of Wills.
The Register of Will charges $1 for a Xerox copy of marriage application and $10 for a court-certified copy of the same record. Each court-certified copy of marriage record costs $5. The fee for a listing of birth/death records as found in official dockets is $2. Court-certified birth and death certificates cost $5 each.
It is also possible to obtain copies of birth and death certificates for Berks County from the Division of Vital Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. To obtain these vital records in person, head to the Vital Records office at 101 S. Mercer Street, New Castle, PA. Available records include birth and death certificatesfrom 1907 to the present. Vital records prepared between 1893 and 1906 are available from the York County Archives at 150 Pleasant Acres, York, PA. Members of the public can also request for archived records by calling (717) 840-7222 or sending email requests to archives@yorkcountypa.gov.
You can order a birth or death certificate from 1907 to the present from the Division of Vital Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health by mail. Start by submitting a completed Application for a Birth Certificate (also available in Spanish) or Application for a Death Certificate (Spanish) to:
Department of Health
Bureau of Health Statistics & Registries
Division of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
Each certified copy of birth or death certificate costs $20. This fee is payable with a check or money order made out to Vital Records.
