NCJ Number
210292
Date Published
September 2000
Length
365 pages
Annotation
This fourth edition of the Records Management Guide for California law enforcement agencies updates guidelines to reflect new State legislation that affects law enforcement records management.
Abstract
The guide focuses on records management procedures for small and medium-sized agencies with centralized, manual record systems; however, the underlying principles are equally applicable to automated systems. The first section addresses the primary report system, which refers to the system that begins with a call for service and ends with a decision to purge or retain specific documents. This one system provides a broad base of data from which an agency can gauge its performance at the most basic level. The second section, entitled "Secondary Processes," contains information, guidelines, and procedures related to secondary files often found in a law enforcement agency. The third section pertains to the security of information, which involves decisions on when records information can be disseminated and to whom. The purpose of the section on "Statistics" is to introduce the elements and methods of statistical reporting as they apply to law enforcement activities; and the section on records retention/destruction discusses policies regarding which records should be retained and which destroyed with the passage of time. Records that are no longer useful should be destroyed, because they impede an agency's ability to reference more current and valuable information sources. Forms control, which is discussed in another section, is a system of centralized responsibility for the development, maintenance, numbering, revision, ordering, and supply of designated forms. Remaining sections address system audit procedures, automation of records, training records personnel, model directives, legal reference, a resource guide, and a glossary.