Managing Law Enforcement Records
Which Schedules to Use?
Law enforcement agencies use the following:
- Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE) v.5.0 (October 2024) - records common to local government agencies such as administration, asset management, contracts, finance, grants, human resources, information management, and transitory records.
- State Government General Records Retention Schedule v.6.4 (June 2026) - records common to state agencies such as administration, asset management, contracts, finance, grants, human resources, information management, and transitory records.
- Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule v.9.0 (June 2026) - records relating to cases and investigations, crime prevention, complaints/grievances/misconduct, court order implementation, criminal history, dispatch, inmate custody, internal review investigations, law enforcement personnel records, mobile device recordings, property management, search and rescue, violations and traffic enforcement, and weapons maintenance.
- Animal Services Records Retention Schedule v.2.0 (October 2013) - records relating to animal control (for law enforcement agencies that are also responsible for this activity).
- Emergency Communications (911) and Dispatch Records Retention Schedule v.2.0 (June 2026) - records relating to computer-aided dispatch (CAD), emergency communications (911), dispatch, GPS/AVL data, location services, and public safety answering point communications (for law enforcement agencies that are also responsible for this activity).
- Washington State Patrol Records Retention Schedule v.1.0 (February 2025) records relating to Washington State Patrol.
Help with...
Help with Common Types of Records
Help with Law Enforcement-Specific Records
How Long Do Police Body Cam Recordings Need to Be Kept?
Retention depends if the recording captures an incident or not:
| Incident Captured? | Retention |
|---|---|
| Yes | Retain as part of the case records for the case that the incident relates to Source: Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule |
| No | 60 Days After Date of Recording (Non-Archival) Recordings from Mobile Devices - Incident Not Identified (Body-Worn Cameras) (DAN LE2016-001) Source: Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule |
How Long Do Police Radar Calibration Records Need to Be Kept?
Records relating to the testing, calibration, certification, and other maintenance of speed timing and measuring devices (such as radar guns) need to be kept for:
Maintenance - Major and/or Regulated (DAN GS 21008 / GS2012-039)
Sources: State Government General Records Retention Schedule / Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE)
How Long Do Use of Force Reports Need to Be Kept?
Retention depends if the report becomes part of a misconduct investigation or not:
| Part of Misconduct Investigation? | Retention |
|---|---|
| Yes | 10 Years After Date of Separation from Agency (Non-Archival) Complaints, Grievances, and Misconduct Records (Peace/Corrections Officers) (LE2022-003) Source: Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule |
| No | 6 Years After Completion of Review (Non-Archival) Internal Review/Post-Incident Analysis (Routine) (DAN LE2022-008) Source: Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule |
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- Notorious/Historically Significant Case Files/Inmate Records
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The Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule includes two records series, both with 'Archival' designations, relating to notorious or historically significant case files (DAN LE2010-060) and inmate records (DAN LE2010-086).
The following list provides criteria that should be considered when evaluating whether case or inmate records should be retained according to a records series for notorious/historically significant records:
Did the case/inmate attain contemporary public notoriety?
Did the case/inmate receive significant media coverage?
Did the case/inmate cause local agencies to develop or utilize new methods or technologies?
Is the case/inmate frequently cited in scholarly or professional literature or other resources?
Has the case/inmate caused a change in policies or laws?
Did the case affect a larger portion of the community?
Was the case/inmate generally viewed by the community as important or significant?
Did the case/inmate incur large restitution amounts?
If a case or inmate file meets one or more of the above criteria, it should be retained according to the most appropriate records series for notorious/historically significant records in the Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule. Accordingly, such records should not be destroyed and the agency should contact Washington State Archives for archival appraisal and transfer.
- What does "exhaustion of appeals" mean?
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When records retention schedules have a retention that includes "exhaustion of appeals process", this means that either:
Any appeals have been resolved and there are no further avenues available to appeal the matter; or The time limit to lodge any appeal has expired.To find out if the appeal process has been exhausted, you may need to consult with either your agency's legal counsel or the prosecuting attorney for your county.
How do I know?
Last Updated: August 2026