Wyoming Criminal Records

When law enforcement and the judiciary carry out arrests, detentions, indictments, and sentences in Wyoming, criminal records are created.

A Wyoming criminal record, also known as a "Criminal History Record" or "Rap Sheet," is an accumulation of information that shows how a person has interacted with the criminal justice system. These records are produced by the state and municipal courts, the Department of Corrections, and law enforcement agencies located across the counties (such as police departments, highway patrol, and sheriff's offices).

Information about criminal histories is kept centrally in the Office of the Attorney General's Division of Criminal Investigation in Wyoming.

Are Criminal Records Public in Wyoming?

Yes. The Wyoming Public Records Act (W.S. §16-4-201 through 16-4-205) states that criminal records in Wyoming are, in fact, public documents. This means that the public may access and review them. Nonetheless, the law has several exemptions that relate to people's potential access to these records.

The Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in Wyoming must closely abide by certain restrictions on the inspection of criminal history records and their correct dissemination. These requirements are detailed in Wyo. Stat. § 7-19-106 of the Wyoming Statutes. According to a few of these regulations, record recipients include the following:

• The Subject of record;
• Other criminal justice agencies;
• The department of family services;
• A person who satisfies the Division's standards, which include ensuring that the record will only be used for statistical research or reporting purposes and that it will be sent in an unidentifiable format;
• The record subject's fingerprints, in addition to any other information the Division requires, must be included with any applications or requests for criminal history record information made to the Division by the record subject or any other person, except for the criminal justice system or the Department of Family Services.

Generally speaking, the holding agency must reveal the information as soon as the request to view criminal records complies with legal requirements and the requestor is given permission.

Wyoming Crime Records by County

In Wyoming, information on criminal activity, arrests, charges, and convictions is usually included in crime records. Law enforcement organizations, courts, and other criminal justice institutions are in charge of maintaining these documents. Nonetheless, the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) houses them centrally. As a result, to check a criminal record, the department offers access through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Unit, and all required instructions can be found on its official website. Criminal records in Wyoming are created upon the submission of a Fingerprint Card (FPC). If an arrest FPC is not submitted to DCI, the record will not be found on the Subject's record.

Although the amount of information retrieved may be quite restricted, the majority of county clerk offices maintain websites where users can find some basic criminal data about an individual. For instance, through its official website, the Teton County Clerk of the District Court grants access for name/case searches and requests for case documents. You can find all the information needed to handle requests there.

The Wyoming Archives is in charge of maintaining records that are more than ten years old, and the public has access to them.

Wyoming Criminal Record Check

In Wyoming, the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Unit of the Division of Criminal Investigation is the primary source for criminal record checks. As was previously indicated, the "Fingerprint Card" is used in Wyoming for record checks, and the ATS gathers and transmits criminal history data on a variety of applications. Staff members scan the FPC to see whether the record is available when they receive these requests from several sources. Here are some guidelines regarding the necessary conditions and the execution of this procedure:

The applicant has to be fingerprinted using the FBI's standard 8 x 8 BLUE applicant fingerprint card, which can be obtained from the Division or any other law enforcement organization.

The following fees must be paid (please take note that payments are required before applications may be processed):

• $15 gets you a state background check that covers all of the Western Identification Network states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Nevada), in addition to Wyoming.
• To get an FBI background check, you will need to pay $24.
• The Division of Criminal Investigation also charges $5 for fingerprint services.
• Name, birthdate, and purpose for fingerprinting must be filled out in the upper corner of the fingerprint card. A phone number and physical address should be provided if the submission is sent via mail.

The destination of the results is specified in the "Employer and Address" section.

When application is completed, it should be sent to:

Office of the Attorney General

Division of Criminal Investigation

ATTN: ATS

208 South College Drive

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002

307-777-7181

Interested people could also visit local courts and law enforcement agencies to get some basic information on anyone's criminal history.

Find Criminal Records Online in Wyoming

A thorough background check or criminal history record check in Wyoming can only be completed in person or by mail using the fingerprint card at the Division of Criminal Investigation. As a result, the agency does not make these records easily accessible online.

Free Criminal Record Search in Wyoming

In Wyoming, a criminal history record search is usually not provided at no cost. There are always going to be expenses involved. However, interested parties can also visit a lot of third-party websites that offer internet access to certain basic criminal data. The data shared on these websites could be erroneous and incomplete. Additionally, there would be a cost for a more thorough search.

What Does it Mean if You Have a Criminal Record in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, having a criminal record can seriously affect one's ability to get work, find housing, and maintain personal relationships. Employers frequently perform background checks, which may result in job rejections. Housing providers may reject applications due to criminal histories.

A criminal record might also make it difficult for someone to get a professional license and make them ineligible for some government assistance programs. Wyoming maintains tight regulations governing access to these records and permits their sealing or expungement under certain circumstances; however, the procedure can be complicated.

All things considered, having a criminal record in Wyoming can have long-lasting social and economic repercussions that affect a person's life in many ways, even after the legal issues have been resolved.

Does Your Criminal Record Clear After 7 Years in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, a person's criminal record is not automatically expunged after seven years. Wyoming statutes state that the Division of Criminal Investigation's record of criminal activity for adult offenders is preserved indefinitely, even in cases where charges are dropped or prosecution is dropped.

If a state statute permits expungement, the offender may file an expungement request with the relevant court. For criminal justice purposes, the criminal history data will remain accessible even if an expungement is granted.

However, according to the law, after a person turns 18, their juvenile records in Wyoming may be erased.

Arrest Record Vs Criminal Record

Arrest records serve as a record of a person's apprehension by the police and as evidence of their possible involvement in criminal activity. A person's complete criminal history, including all arrests, charges, convictions, and related information, is covered in their criminal record, which has a broader scope. Arrest records pertain to particular instances, whereas criminal records offer a thorough synopsis of an individual's legal background.

The Division of Criminal Investigation maintains criminal records in Wyoming, but local law enforcement authorities, such as the police, are typically responsible for maintaining arrest records.

Wyoming Police Records

Police interactions and occurrences within Wyoming are documented in police records. Arrest records, incident summaries, criminal histories, warrants, accident reports, and other pertinent data acquired throughout police investigations are a few examples. These documents provide information about specific events, such as traffic stops, arrests, or emergency responses.

The Wyoming Public Records Act states that police records are public, but there are stringent limitations on how the public can obtain them. For example, records about minors are unavailable to the general public, and any material that could compromise an ongoing investigation would not be shared.