Records

The Arroyo Grande Police Department Records Division is staffed by two full-time Records Clerks. The Records Clerks have significant responsibility within the organization by performing departmental law enforcement record keeping. The primary function of the Records Division is to keep track of all crime reports, traffic collision reports, citations, subpoenas, mandated state reporting and a variety of clerical support related duties to the police officers. It is responsible for receiving, reviewing, filing and managing all the critical written documentation generated by the Department related to not only criminal activities but also most of the "routine" daily activities of the organization. Managing that documentation within the Department is vital to the successful investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses. It is just as essential that the written documentation be managed within strict legal mandates regarding the confidentiality and release of information.

If the members of the Records Division were to violate those strict legal mandates, the result could be major civil liability and potentially considerable financial repercussions for the Department and the City. As such, the Records Division closely manages the dissemination of information from the Department to outside sources including involved individuals, attorneys, other law enforcement agencies and the news media. It is important to understand that the dissemination of information from the Department is strictly regulated by law, with severe sanctions imposed on the organization and the individual employee for any violation of those sanctions. Many times it is not that the Department is unwilling to release information on an incident to an individual or the news media; many times it is that the Department is legally prohibited from releasing the requested information.

The Records Division operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is under the Support Services Commander. You may call the Records Division at 805-473-5110.