Records Management Unit

Criminal Records

Requests to Destroy Fingerprints and photographs.

Your fingerprints and photograph are not necessarily destroyed if your charges are withdrawn or dismissed. In most cases, you or your lawyer will have to make a formal request for this to be done. You must wait thirty (30) days from the last court date before making the request, as the Crown Attorney has this much time to appeal the disposition. If you entered into a peace bond, you must wait until the bond has expired before making your request.

There are two parts to a criminal file:

  • The R.C.M.P record, and
  • Your local file.

Upon closure of your file, the prints and photographs are destroyed and the corresponding R.C.M.P. and local records are purged. However, the occurrence report relevant to the incident is maintained in our files in accordance with our Records Retention By-Laws.

The non-refundable fee for file closure is $26.75 (GST included).

  • All requests to destroy fingerprints and photographs related to charges that have been withdrawn or dismissed must be made in writing to the Chief of Police of the Chatham-Kent Police Service.
     
  • All such requests will be forwarded to the Records Management Unit, who will confirm that the charge(s) were withdrawn or dismissed, and collect the applicable fee for service.
     
  • The destruction of fingerprints and photographs for charges that have been withdrawn or dismissed may be carried out for “Eligible Individuals”.
     
  • The Chatham-Kent Police Service defines an “Eligible Individual” to be:
    • A person with no criminal record
    • A person that has not been the subject of past or current criminal investigations
    • A person who was the subject of an investigation that did not involve a case of some significance, particularly where evidence existed to proceed with a charge, but circumstances such as the inability or refusal of a witness to testify, prevented the police or the Crown from proceeding.
       
  • The Manager of the Records Management Unit will make the determination of whether or not an applicant falls into the Chatham-Kent Police Service definition of “Eligible Individual”.
     
  • Should an applicant not be considered an “Eligible Individual” an advisory letter shall be sent to the applicant.
      
  • Should the request for destruction be granted the applicant would be provided written notification of the date and method used to dispose of the subject records. If requested, the applicant will be offered the opportunity to witness the destruction.

Please NOTE: If you received a Conditional or Absolute Discharge prior to July 24, 1992, you must apply in writing to the R.C.M.P. to request your file to be destroyed. Once this is done and you receive a letter of confirmation, bring this in to us so we can close your local file. This request form can be downloaded directly from the R.C.M.P.’s website at www.rcmp-grc.ca/forms/3953.pdf

For more information or assistance with Criminal Records you may contact Karen Murphy @ (519) 436-6608 ext. 3 or e-mail her at karenm@chatham-kent.on.ca