Help with Law Enforcement Records Retention

Which Retention Schedules Do Law Enforcement Agencies Use?

1. Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE) v.5.0 (October 2024)
2. State Government General Records Retention Schedule v.6.3 (October 2024)
3. Law Enforcement Records Retention Schedule v.8.0 (February 2022)
4. Animal Services Records Retention Schedule v.2.0 (October 2013)
5. Emergency Communications (911) Records Retention Schedule v.1.0 (November 2012)
6. Washington State Patrol Records Retention Schedule v.1.0 (February 2025)

Click to expand each topic...

Basics of Records Retention...

• What Are Records Retention Schedules?
• What Are Records Series?
• How Are Records Retention Periods Determined?
• What is an Archival Record?
• What is a Non-Archival Record?

Help Finding the Right Retention...

• How to Navigate Records Retention Schedules
• How to Determine the Correct Records Series
• How to Choose Between Multiple Records Series
• Searching Techniques for Records Retention Schedules Video (3 minutes)

How Long to Keep...

• Audit Trails
• Backups
• Body Cam Recordings
• Chat/Instant Messaging
• COVID-19 Contact Tracing Logs and Screening Records
• COVID-19 Pandemic Records
• COVID-19 Vaccination Verification Records
• Dash Cam Recordings
• Database Records
• Data Entry Records
• Drone Operations Records
• Drone Recordings
• Emails
• Evidence/Property

• Meeting Recordings
• Migration Process Records
• Misconduct Records
• Personnel Records
• Public Records Request Logs
• Public Records Requests
• Radar Calibration Records
• Recruitment Records
• Social Media Posts
• Text Messages
• Training Records
• Use of Force Reports
• Voicemails

Strategies for...

• Applying Retention Schedule Updates
• Applying Retention to Subject Files
• Managing Chat/Instant Messaging Retention
• Managing Sensitive Payment Cardholder Data
• Managing Sex Offender Case Records
• Managing Social Media Records Retention
• Managing Voicemail Retention

Transitory Records...

• Examples of Common Records with Minimal Retention
• What Does "Until No Longer Needed for Agency Business" Mean?
• Why Isn't There Just One "Transitory" Records Series?

Other Advice...

• Difference Between Administrative and Core Mission Policies/Procedures
• Impact of Public Records Requests on Records Retention
• Notorious/Historically Significant Case Files/Inmate Records
• What are Personnel Files?
• What Does "Exhaustion of Appeals Process" Mean?
• What To Do With Non-Work-Related Appointments in Calendars

Training...

• Basics of Managing Law Enforcement Records Training
• Retention Schedules "Demystified" (Recorded Webinar - April 2015 - 40 minutes)