In New Hampshire, arrest records are handled by the Division of State Police which works within the supervision of the Department of Safety. Established in 1937, the State Police have been performing the task of criminal identification since their early days. The agency has grown in leaps and bounds since and giant strides have been made in the incorporation of latest technology in the various processes of the Division. This now allows them to offer details on arrests and active warrants to the general public as well.
Composed of several focused and efficient units, the State Police handle a variety of functions when it comes to criminal history. From capturing the fingerprints taken at the time of arrests in an automated system to keeping information on criminal history collected from all the police and judicial departments in the state, the DSP does all of this and more. Among its many units are:
- The Criminal Records Unit: This is the part of the division that handles the collection, storage and dissemination of crime history data. Information on arrest records and outstanding warrants is supplied to civilian applicants, criminal justice agencies from within the state and outside and the FBI.
- Uniform Crime Report Unit: In keeping with the FBI’s efforts of providing crime statistics for all 50 states, the UCR provides information on incidents, victims, offenders and offense types through a website
- Fingerprint Identification: This is a Tri- State System wherein the Automated Fingerprint Network of NH is linked to similar systems from Maine and Vermont. Criminal ten print cards are sent to the database via electronic means.
- Sex Offender Registry: The State Police also has a branch that is exclusively dedicated to the maintenance of the sex offender registry for NH. The database contains information on all the registration forms from sex offenders received by local police departments.
How is information stored within the crime history repository of the DSP?
The mission of the Criminal Records Unit is to three pronged; to collect criminal history data with accuracy and speed, to store this information], so that it can be accessed for criminal justice and non criminal justice purposes and the dissemination of this data pursuant to the criminal history record laws of the state. Towards this goal the Criminal History Records Information (CHRI) repository and the AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) were established.
These are central databases for the state of NH and as such they contain the most comprehensive listing of the criminal involvement of any person who has had any interaction of a criminal nature with the law enforcement and justice agencies of the state. The CHRI database is populated by way of arrest records received on the basis of fingerprint impressions taken after arrests.
So, it should be noted that all arrest records stored in the repository are necessarily backed by ten fingerprint cards or a criminal disposition or complaints filed with a circuit or superior tribunal. Arrest records do not have an expiration date in NH. Hence, this information can be found in the CHRI database unless it is removed through a court order given in response to a Petition to Annul.
Requesting information on criminal history through the DSP
To conduct an arrest warrant search through the DSP, you will need a photo identification of the applicant, check or money order for the appropriate amount and the completed Criminal Records Release Consent Form available at nh.gov/safety/divisions/nhsp/ssb/crimrecords/documents/dssp256.pdf.
If you are launching the inquiry to find third party arrest records, the authorization will need to be notarized and bear the signature of the subject. You will be charged $25 for the search but this can be reduced to $10 if the investigation is being conducted by a nonprofit. The completed form and the fees will have to be sent to:
Central Repository for Criminal Records
33 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03305