Destruction of Fingerprints and Photographs

Persons who have been arrested, fingerprinted, photographed, and charged with an offence with the Abbotsford Police Department which has resulted in a non-conviction disposition in court, can apply to have their fingerprints and photograph destroyed.

• Stay of Proceedings – 1 year following the disposition date.
• Withdrawn
• Dismissed
• Acquitted
• Not Guilty
• Absolute Discharge – 1 year following the disposition date.
• Conditional Discharge – 3 years following the disposition date.

Requests for Fingerprint and photograph destruction may be denied if:

• You have a criminal conviction on file for which you have not received a record suspension.
• You have outstanding charge(s) before the courts.
• The waiting period has not been met.
• There are compelling circumstances whereby refusing destruction is in the public interest.
• The RCMP Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Service can also refuse a destruction request. For more information, please visit their website.

Applicants will be notified in writing if the request has been approved or denied.
Fingerprint and photograph destructions do not remove the police file from the Abbotsford Police Records Management System.  All police investigative records are maintained in accordance with retention schedules.  Results of the court proceedings will remain in the court database.

Please be aware that incident and court information may be disclosable on a Police Information Check.
 

Destruction Request Process

Applicants or their legal representatives must apply in writing to request fingerprint and photograph destructions.  The letter should include the following:

• Full Name – include name when you were arrested if this has changed.
• Date of Birth
• Current Address
• Offence type and the date you were arrested – as best as you can recall.
• Court Disposition

Mail or drop off the request to:

Abbotsford Police Department – Records Information Section
2838 Justice Way
Abbotsford, BC
V2T 3P5

Processing time can be up to 3 months.

Reconsideration Process

If you have been notified that your request for destruction has been denied, you may request a review of the decision.

Written consideration requests should include any documentation that support the reasons why. 

Mail or drop the request to:

Director, Support Services Branch
Abbotsford Police Department
2838 Justice Way
Abbotsford, BC
V2T 3P5