(See Minnesota Statute 121A.28, 260B.171, 13.82, 13.821, 13.822 and General Order 235.00: Data Practices)
The confidentiality of juvenile records is the responsibility of the youth services section commander. It is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that access to juvenile records is permitted on a need-to-know basis only.
The unit shall notify the principal or administrative officer of a juvenile’s school of an incident occurring in the agency’s jurisdiction if: (1) the agency has probable cause to believe that the juvenile has committed an offense that would be a crime if committed as an adult, that the victim of the offense is a student or staff member of the school, and that notice to the school is reasonably necessary for the protection of the victim; or (2) the agency has probable cause to believe that the juvenile has committed an offense described in subdivision 3, paragraph a, clauses (1), (2) and (3), that would be a crime if committed by an adult.
Exceptions:
-
Records of juveniles who commit adult traffic offenses are treated as adult traffic offenders.
-
Records of certified juveniles after certification and the filing of the notice of intent to prosecute are treated as adult records.
Following certification, a juvenile may be assigned a Saint Paul Police Department identification number. This number may be used for any adult court activity or proceeding (while the person is a certified juvenile or after s/he has become an adult) but may not be used to reflect any juvenile court activity or proceeding.
Expungement of Juvenile Records:
On occasion, the Saint Paul Police Department will receive an order from the juvenile court(s) ordering the juvenile record of a particular individual be expunged. Upon receipt of an expungement order, the records unit manager, youth services section commander will consult with city attorney to determine if the juvenile record shall be sealed. If expunged, the record must be kept though the juvenile has no official record with our agency.
Disposition and Destruction of Juvenile Records:
In the absence of a Minnesota statute to the contrary, criminal histories of juveniles will be retained on file independent of adult records until the person reaches the age of 27 years, at which time application for destruction will be made to the Minnesota Historical Society. A photograph taken of a child taken into custody pursuant to section 260B.175, subdivision 1, clause (b), must be destroyed when the child reaches the age of 19 years.
Juvenile fingerprint files will be maintained indefinitely. All other juvenile identification evidence will be retained or destroyed according to statute or final court disposition of the juvenile case file.
(See General Order 235.50: Uniform Evidence Retention)
Updated February 1, 2019