Public Records
Records personnel are responsible for the dispersal and filing of all incoming reports and paperwork as well as overseeing the retention and disposal of records. Other functions include maintaining files on law enforcement cases, validations of entries for NCIC/FCIC, sealing/expunging of records and processing of traffic reports. Records employees assist the public with local criminal background checks, copies of reports, traffic citations and traffic crashes. Personnel assist victims, witnesses and others seeking information contained in central record files, which are released in accordance with the public records law.
The Records staff is responsible for Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), which is the process of submitting all Citrus County crime statistics to the FBI on an annual basis.
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Records Section strives to furnish and maintain excellent customer service in providing records to agency staff and the public as mandated and in accordance with Florida State Statute.
We have two locations to better serve the citizens and businesses of Citrus County.
Our office in Inverness is located in the Operations building at 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Avenue. Our office in Crystal River is located behind Crystal River City Hall at 123 NE Highway 19.
Our office hours are Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 5 pm (closed for most observed holidays).
Our main office email is PublicRecords@sheriffcitrus.org
- For Our Records/Public Records Request form, please click here
- For Our Audio Request form, please click here
- For Our Affidavit for Crash Report Form, please click here
Jail Records
Please note: the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office does not run/operate the county detention facility. To obtain those records, please contact CoreCivic at (352) 527-3332.
What is Public Record?
Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, commonly known as Florida's "Public Records Law," provides information on public records in Florida, including policies, definitions, exemptions and general information on access, inspection, and duplication of records. By definition, public records include all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.
Out of all government entities subject to Ch. 119, F.S., law enforcement probably is entitled to claim the largest number of exemptions, depending on the classification of the offense committed and the victim involved. Additionally, any information that could jeopardize an active investigation or endanger a deputy or citizen is typically exempt from public disclosure.
Offense, Arrests, and Calls for Service Reports
The Records section is responsible for providing and processing requests for offense reports, arrest affidavits, and traffic crash reports.
Offense and arrest reports may be requested in person, mail, fax, or email. Prior to sending your request, you may contact the Records section to confirm the offense report number, its availability, and possible fee involved.
Please wait 5-7 business days from the date of the incident before requesting the offense report.
Incident reports can take up to 30 days to be processed once requested.
The section is also responsible for overseeing the retention/disposal of records, maintaining law enforcement case files, validation of entries in FCIC/NCIC, as well as assisting victims, witnesses and others seeking information contained in the records management system. Other functions include but are not limited to local background checks, sealing/expunging of records, and processing of traffic reports.
Local Background Checks
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office ONLY conducts local checks for another law enforcement agency, Department of Children and Families, adoption, or a company/agency for the purpose of obtaining employment or volunteering working directly with juveniles, elderly, or the mentally handicapped or disabled. A form or letterhead from the prospective employer or agency is required.
Local background checks may be requested in person, mail, fax, or email.
Please allow up to 30 days business days for processing.
If the local check you are requiring does not fall into the above categories, a complete history may be obtained from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at (850) 410-8109 or www.fdle.state.fl.us
Seal or Expunge Records
FDLE provides a service through which certain criminal records can be expunged (removed from our records) or sealed (placed under highly restricted access). The laws and rules which govern expunction or sealing of criminal history record(s) include Sections s.943.0585 - s.943.059, Florida Statutes and Chapter 11C-7, Florida Administrative Code.
For more information regarding sealing or expunging a record, please use the attached link to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s site: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us Once on the site, click on the A-Z Index and scroll down and click on the Sealed/Expunged Records listing.
A seal/expunge packet can be obtained at the Clerk of Courts. The packet must be correctly completed and submitted to FDLE for processing by the applicant. If approved, the applicant will receive a Certificate of Eligibility from FDLE. The applicant should then file the certificate with the Clerk of Courts and set up a hearing with a judge. If the judge approves, a court order is then originated. Once the applicant pays the required fees, certified copies of the court order are disseminated to the appropriate agencies.
Please note that a record cannot be sealed or expunged by a law enforcement agency without a certified copy of the court order.
Traffic Crash Reports
Per Florida Statute Section 316.066, traffic crash reports are not a public record under the provisions of Florida Statute Section 119.07 for a period of 60 days after the date the report is filed with the following exceptions:
- The parties involved;
- Their legal representatives;
- Their licensed insurance agents;
- Their insurers;
- Persons under contract with such insurer to provide claims or underwriting information;
- Prosecutorial authorities;
- Radio and television stations licensed by the FCC;
- Newspapers qualified to publish legal notices and free newspapers of general circulation, published once a week or more often, available and of interest to the public generally for the dissemination of news. For the purpose of Florida Statute Section 316.066, the following products are NOT qualifying newspapers: those intended primarily for members of a particular profession or occupational group; those with the primary purpose of distributing advertising; those with the primary purpose of publishing names and other personally identifying information concerning parties to motor vehicle crashes;
- State and Federal Agencies authorized to have access to such reports by any provision of the law.
The State requires that anyone requesting a traffic crash report within the first 60 days of its occurrence must complete a notarized affidavit specifying why you are entitled to that report and that the information contained in the report will not be used for commercial solicitation. A separate affidavit must be completed for each traffic crash report that is requested.
**Any person, knowing that he or she is not entitled to obtain information made confidential by this section, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in Florida Statute Section 775.082, 775.083 or 775.084.
After 60 days, an affidavit is no longer required to obtain a crash report.
Please allow 15 business days after a traffic crash has occurred or has been reported before attempting to obtain a copy of the report
Fee Schedule
(Subject to change)
- $ .15 per single side copy
- $ .20 per double-sided copy
- $1.00 per photo
- $1.00 per page for certified copies
- $14.00 for audio and video (includes 911 calls)
- Each audio requires a $10 deposit with the remaining balance due upon completion of the request (a redaction charge may also be added for redaction over 20 minutes)
- Postage fees, when applicable.
FEES FOR EXTENSIVE RESEARCH REQUESTS/PROJECTS
As provided for by Florida State Statute 119.07 and the Florida Attorney General’s Office, an additional fee will be charged for requests requiring extensive research and production time. Extensive means any request, or related group of requests, that requires personnel to spend more than thirty minutes fulfilling the request.
- The fee for the extensive research, copying or reproduction of records will be based on the loaded rate of pay of the lowest paid subject who can complete the request. The extensive fee charge will be applied for each hour, or part thereof, after the first half hour.
Additional fees will be charged if the request involves extensive use of information technology resources. These fees will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature/volume of the request.
Methods of Payment
Individuals may remit the fee for records reproduction by one of the following: Money Order/Cashier Check, Cash, Business Check, Personal Check.
We have provided the following links to our request forms.
- For our Records/Public Records Request form, please click here.
- For our Audio Request form, please click here.
- For our Affidavit for Crash Report form, please click here.
Please complete and submit the request forms along with the required fee to one of the records clerks in the Records section.
Examples of Public Record Exemptions
- Active criminal intelligence information
- Baker Act / Marchman Act information
- Victim information pursuant to Marsy’s Law
- The identity of an individual who calls 911
- Social security numbers
- The addresses and telephone numbers of a victim of aggravated battery, aggravated stalking, domestic violence, and harassment
- The identity of a victim of a sex offense, child abuse, and neglect and exploitation of the elderly
UCR DATA AND ITS USEFULNESS
UCR crime statistics are used in many ways and serve many purposes. They provide law enforcement with data for use in budget formulation, planning, resource allocation, assessment of police operations, etc., to help address the crime problem at various levels. Criminal justice researchers study the nature, cause, and movement of crime over time. Legislators draft anti-crime measures using the research findings and recommendations of law enforcement administrators, planners, and public and private entities concerned with the problem of crime. The news media use the crime statistics provided by the UCR Program to inform the public about the state of crime.
An agency’s UCR data should not be compared to another agency because there are many factors that cause the nature and type of crime to vary from place to place. UCR statistics include only jurisdictional population figures along with reported crime, clearance, or arrest data.
Comparing law enforcement agencies based solely on UCR data has serious implications. For example, if a subject or group wants to measure the effectiveness of a law enforcement agency, these measurements are not available. As a substitute, list UCR clearance rates, and attempt to understand the effectiveness of individual law enforcement agencies. This speculation is flawed as all the other measures of police effectiveness are ignored. The nature of the cleared offenses must be considered as those cleared may not have been the most serious, like murder, rape, or robbery. The agency makes many arrests like drug abuse violations, criminal mischief, traffic infractions, and fraud which demonstrate police activity but are not considered in the clearance rate. The UCR clearance rate was not designed to provide a complete assessment of law enforcement effectiveness.In order to obtain a valid picture of an agency’s effectiveness, consider the agency’s strength and resources, crimes, clearances, and arrest rates; along with other appropriate factors.