Records and Identification Bureau has the responsibility for the collection, electronic imaging, and storage of crime reports and booking jacket records. The Bureau collects, collates, and disseminates crime, arrest, and calls-for-services information, and disseminates this information to various authorized agencies and the public. The Bureau manages the Countywide Warrant System (CWS) and the Los Angeles County Regional Identification System (LACRIS), which is a sub-component of the California Identification System (Cal-ID). The Bureau maintains criminal histories of all state Department of Justice (DOJ) retainable arrest records based upon positive fingerprint identifications.
This Section is comprised of:
Consolidated Criminal History Reporting System (CCHRS) Unit
- provides the Los Angeles criminal justice community with complete, timely, and accurate criminal history information in an understandable format.
Countywide Warrant System Operations Unit
- manages the Countywide Warrant System (CWS);
- provides the law enforcement community with accurate and timely warrant information; and
- analyzes legislation and proposals regarding warrants.
Sealing Unit
- removes data from electronic Departmental databases to comply with legal requirements for sealing and destruction of adult and juvenile arrest records.
Fingerprint Unit
- makes fingerprint identifications for arrestees for Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies, with the exception of the Los Angeles Police Department;
- inputs fingerprint information on first time offenders into Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) for use in future comparisons;
- provides timely suspect identification notifications to booking locations and investigative Units throughout the County;
- verifies and combines the fingerprint-based records of subjects who have duplicate SID numbers and MAINs. Forwards the information about such records to various agencies, including the California Department of Justice;
- maintains hard copy and microfilm fingerprint files;
- provides court testimony for verification of fingerprint identifications and/or methods used to determine identification;
- performs name and numerical searches of subjects for possible prior arrest records; and
- assists local law enforcement agencies with information corrections, and coordinates those corrections with the California Department of Justice.
Los Angeles County Regional Identification Systems Unit
- manages and operates the Los Angeles County Regional Identification System (LACRIS), an Automated Fingerprint Identification System and a component of the statewide Cal-ID network;
- manages the Livescan Network and all of the tenprinters at all consolidated booking locations;
- manages the digital booking photograph system (which included photos of tattoos) and Cal-Photo;
- analyzes legislation and proposals regarding maintenance of fingerprints and booking photographs;
- monitors the release of booking photographs to comply with the Criminal Offenders Records and Information (CORI) Act; and
- assists local agencies establish applicant fingerprint transmissions to Cal-DOJ through the Sheriff’s Data Network.
PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES SECTION
This Section is comprised of:
Applicant Unit
- responsible for providing local summary criminal history information to authorized City, County, State, and Federal agencies for employment, permit, or licensing purposes;
- provides copies of crime reports and booking jacket records to authorized City, County, State, and Federal agencies for employment, permit, or licensing purposes; and
- charges fees for these services, pursuant to Section 13300(f) of the California Penal Code.
Subpoena Control Unit
- provides crime reports and booking jacket records in response to criminal, civil, and administrative subpoenas, and court orders; and
- provides crime reports and booking jacket records in response to pre-sentences, pre-sentences, prior convictions, and miscellaneous certification requests in accordance with evidence and government codes and civil criminal court rules.
Correspondence Unit
- responds to written and electronically mailed requests for police or accident reports and custody/booking information or local summary criminal history information received from authorized and agencies, attorneys representing victims, and private persons;
- prepares clearance, incarceration, adoption and local summary history letters, for requests received through the mail;
- responds to requests for traffic collision reports from involved private persons, attorney’s and/or law firms, and insurance companies representing involved parties; and
- provides crime reports and booking jacket information to Child Protective Services and Social Services agencies to assist with the emergency placement of children.
Document Processing Unit
- coordinates the imaging of Incident Reports, supplementary reports, cite outs, and juvenile release packages, and booking jacket records received from Field Operations Regions, Custody Division, Correctional Services Division and from throughout the Department;
- verifies reports against each Station's, Facility’s, or Bureau’s Incident Log Sheets to ensure that all reports have been received;
- performs quality assurance reviews of the electronic images of converted crime reports and booking jacket packages, and the indices producted; and
- performs quality assurance reviews for the images captured and imported into Sheriff’s Integrated Records Retrieval Assembly System (SIRRAS), the Department’s electronic document management system, including the review of those indices and images that fail validation against the Historical Automated Justice Information System (HAJIS) and the Los Angeles Regional Crime Information System (LARCIS).
Information Retrieval Unit and Validation Desk
- works exclusively with Law Enforcement agencies conducting criminal investigations, California State Prisons preparing housing recommendations for incoming inmates, and District and City Attorneys preparing prosecutions; and
- disseminates information in response to requests received via fax for crime reports, booking jackets, and local summary criminal history information for use in furthering investigations and prosecutions.
Validation Unit
- Department’s liaison to the California Department of Justice for audits of departmental entries into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC);
- provides instruction and guidance to Sheriff Stations and Specialized Bureaus regarding Department policies and procedures as well as NCIC requirements for maintaining accuracy and complete documentation of supporting entries in NCIC;
- conduct sheriff’s station inspections on a monthly basis, to determine compliance with NCIC requirements for data entered. Provide feedback to sheriff’s stations and Specialized Bureau Commanders on results of inspections; and
- oversees the monthly validation process of entries into NCIC. A list is provided, monthly, from California Department of Justice and this unit disseminates the list to all sheriff’s stations and specialized bureaus and coordinates the Departmental response back to Cal DOJ indicating that all entries have been validated, are updated, and are accurate.
Public Services Unit
- full service Public Counter, providing a variety of criminal-history-related services to private persons and attorneys;
- prepares clearance, incarceration, adoption and local summary history letters, releases crime reports to victims, traffic collision reports to involved parties, and booking information, all in accordance with the Public Records Act (Government Code Sections 6250-6276), Penal Code Section 13300 (et al), and Vehicle Code Section 20012;
- provides applicant Livescan Fingerprint services;
- registers arson and narcotics offenders, provides associated Livescan Fingerprint services, and submits registration information to the California Department of Justice; and
- collects and transmits fees for these services as required by State Law and County Ordinance, and as administered by Fiscal Administration.