rms2 Seal and Expunge
rms2 Seal and Expunge
Table of Contents
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc75760082 \h 1
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary PAGEREF _Toc75760083 \h 2
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary PAGEREF _Toc75760084 \h 4
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary PAGEREF _Toc75760085 \h 5
Audit Log: PAGEREF _Toc75760086 \h 5
Master Name Index: PAGEREF _Toc75760087 \h 5
Security: PAGEREF _Toc75760088 \h 6
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview PAGEREF _Toc75760089 \h 7
SEAL / EXPUNGE TRANSACTION PAGEREF _Toc75760090 \h 7
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview PAGEREF _Toc75760091 \h 8
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview PAGEREF _Toc75760092 \h 9
UNSEAL TRANSACTION PAGEREF _Toc75760093 \h 9
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview PAGEREF _Toc75760094 \h 10
Administrative: PAGEREF _Toc75760095 \h 10
Audit Log: PAGEREF _Toc75760096 \h 10
Master Name Index: PAGEREF _Toc75760097 \h 10
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview PAGEREF _Toc75760098 \h 11
Narrative: PAGEREF _Toc75760099 \h 11
RMS2 Seal/Expunge/Unseal Entry PAGEREF _Toc75760100 \h 12
Seal or Expunge Record: PAGEREF _Toc75760101 \h 12
Entry Process: PAGEREF _Toc75760102 \h 13
Entry Process (cont.): PAGEREF _Toc75760103 \h 14
Unseal Record: PAGEREF _Toc75760104 \h 15
Entry Process: PAGEREF _Toc75760105 \h 15
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary
Generally, record sealing can be defined as the process of removing from general review the records pertaining to a court case. Once a record is sealed, in some states, the contents are legally considered never to have occurred and are not acknowledged by the state. However, the records may not completely disappear and may still be reviewed under limited circumstances; in most instances, it requires a court order to unseal records once they are sealed.
Some Courts will order the physical destruction of records after they are sealed. This type of Court Order is typically referred to as Expungement.
The process, requirements and terminology to seal or expunge a record and the protections it provides vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. RMS2 defines the Seal and Expunge processes in the following manner:
Sealed Record: Removes the name from a RMS record including Citation, Incident, Major Crime Registrant or Warrant module. Links previously created between the Master Name Index and specific record are also removed. A sealed record may be unsealed using the Unseal module.
Expunge: Deletes the name from a RMS record including Citation, Incident, Major Crime Registrant or Warrant module. Links previously created between the Master Name Index and specific record are also deleted. An expunge transaction permanently deletes the name from the record and links from the Master Name Index. This transaction cannot be reversed.
Unseal Record: At times a previously sealed record will need to be unsealed, whether by court order or for administrative audit purposes the unseal reverses the seal transaction. Once unsealed, the record is able to be viewed and the Master Name Index link is activated.
Report View Prior to Name being Sealed
Report View Prior to Name being Sealed
Report View After Name has been Sealed
Report View After Name has been Sealed
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary
Seal, Unseal and Expunge transactions may have consequences if not completed accurately. The transaction will not be committed unless required fields are completed. They are stored in the database if retrieval becomes necessary.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Summary
Audit Log:
Within each Report record there is an audit log on the REPORT MANAGEMENT screen which is accessed from the navigation tree. When a name is sealed it simply displays as DELETE transaction. In the example below NAME 3 was created, which is the INSERT transaction, then sealed (DELETE) and subsequently unsealed which also displays an INSERT transaction. Each entry in the audit log includes a date/time stamp as well as the name of person completing the transaction.
Master Name Index:
RMS2 automatically creates a link between the record being entered and the name included in the record. In this way when conducting a name search all records associated with the name will display in return. The seal and expunge transaction removes this link. When you conduct a name search and the name has a sealed record, the sealed record will not display. When the unseal transaction is applied to a name the links are reestablished.
Security:
Expunge, Seal and Unseal module security is handled within the Security Management Application. This allows a program administrator to assign rights at a granular level. Using this model, personnel assigned to sealing records do not need access to the expunge or unseal portion of the application in order to complete their job assignment.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview
The process of Sealing, Unsealing or Expunging a record is accomplished in the RMS Manager Application of the EIS RMS2 Program. Each task has its own module within the application to help ensure efficiency, accuracy and security. The agency’s program administrator assigns access rights to the various modules. Depending upon the type of Court Order and/or your State Laws you will need to determine which transaction is appropriate. While making this decision keep these things in mind:
Seal Transaction removes the name from the record as well as the link to the record through the name in the Master Name Index.
Unseal Transaction reverses the Seal transaction. Restores the name to the record as well as the link to the record through the Master Name Index.
Expunge Transaction permanently deletes the person from the record, this transaction cannot be reversed.
The user has the ability to apply Seal, Unseal or Expunge to various modules, such as Incident, Citation, MCR.
SEAL / EXPUNGE TRANSACTION
All names associated with the case number, whether listed in the primary report or a supplemental report will be listed in the name section. The program will only allow transaction to be committed on one name at time.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview
There are several checks in place to assist with the accuracy of the seal / expunge transactions. First, the three transactions are separated into different modules. A user may only select one name record at time to initiate a transaction. Documentation fields are provided to augment the audit trail, with some of these fields being required in order to complete the transaction. Even after clicking the Seal button a user still must confirm the action again through the use of a pop-up dialogue box.
After sealing a record, the user is provided a successful transaction dialogue pop up window.
After sealing a record, the user is provided a successful transaction dialogue pop up window.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview
UNSEAL TRANSACTION
The unseal transaction is used to reverse a sealed record. Whether you are unsealing a record by Court order or for administrative audit purposes, there are data fields available to the user to appropriately document the reason.
*NOTE: Only Sealed records may be unsealed. Expunged records are permanently deleted from the database. This transaction cannot be reversed.
After unsealing a record, the user is provided a successful transaction dialogue pop up window.
After unsealing a record, the user is provided a successful transaction dialogue pop up window.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview
Administrative:
Navigation tree view prior to name being sealed
Navigation tree view prior to name being sealed
Navigation tree view after name has been sealed
Navigation tree view after name has been sealed
Audit Log:
Within each Report record there is an audit log on the REPORT MANAGEMENT screen which is accessed from the navigation tree. When a name is sealed it simply displays as DELETE transaction. In the example below NAME 3 was created, which is the INSERT transaction, then sealed (DELETE) and subsequently unsealed which also displays an INSERT transaction. Each entry in the audit log includes a date/time stamp as well as the name of person completing the transaction.
Master Name Index:
RMS2 automatically creates a link between the record being entered and the name included in the record. In this way when conducting a name search all records associated with the name will display in return. The seal and expunge transaction removes this link. When you conduct a name search and the name has a sealed record, the sealed record will not display. When the unseal transaction is applied to a name the links are reestablished.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge Overview
Narrative:
A name that has been sealed may still appear in the narrative portion of the report. To remove the name a simple FIND and REPLACE action may be applied.
RMS2 Seal/Expunge/Unseal Entry
Seal, Unseal or Expunge modules are in the RMS Manager Application. Your program administrator will need to assign the appropriate permissions through the Security Management Application.
Seal or Expunge Record:
The mechanics of the Seal and Expunge transactions are very similar therefore will be addressed in tandem in this document. The end result however is very different. Sealing a record means that the record is removed from general view. The RMS2 program accomplishes this by moving the record to a Seal table within the database. The link to the record from the name is also removed.
Once sealed, there is no way for an end user to access the information however a sealed record may be unsealed using the unseal module. On the other hand, expunged records are deleted from the database. This means there is no way to un-expunge a record, it does not exist in the database. With this information in mind and considering the laws of your state along with the type of order you are fulfilling the first step is to determine if you are Sealing or Expunging a record. After deciding the appropriate transaction simply click on the module to launch.
Entry Process:
Agency: agency identifier.
Module: F1 drop down, allows user to choose the type of record that is being sealed/expunged.
Format: When this box is checked auto formatting rules apply to the report number field.
Report Number: Identifying number of the record, whether it is a Report, Warrant, Citation or Major Crime Registrant, being sealed/expunged.
Report Verification: Display fields only. These include details of the record such as, Report Type, Report Date, Officer ID and Location. The fields are presented to user to compare against the order to seal/expunge to ensure correct record has been chosen to Seal/Expunge.
Reports: Displays the record(s) identified by the Report Number field above.
Names: All names associated with the record, whether base case or supplemental report, will display in this area. Typically, a MCR, Warrant and Citation record will only have one name whereas an Incident Report can have multiple names depending upon the complexity of the case. Select the name you wish to Seal or Expunge by activating the check box next to the name.
Seal / Expunge Date: This is a mandatory field; enter the date the transaction is completed.
Authority: This is a mandatory field, enter the name of the person completing the transaction.
Court Order Date: Indicate the date the Court Order was signed.
Court Case Number: Courts use various numbering systems, use the number that will clearly identify the Court Order in case you need to refer back to it.
Judge: Name of the Judge signing the Order.
Reason: Free text field used to document additional information about the order to seal or expunge.
Comments: Free text field used to document additional information regarding the process of sealing. Example-notes indicating CAD event was sealed or paper archive copy was sealed or destroyed, etc.
Entry Process (cont.):
Seal / Expunge Button: This will initiate the seal / expunge action based on the information filled out on form. A confirmation pop-up box will be presented and user must confirm for the transaction to be completed. After confirming the action, a second message box will pop-up indicating the action was successful and link to MNI has been removed.
Clear button: Will clear the fields of data
Quit: Closes the module.
Unseal Record:
The intent of sealing a record is to remove it from general view. Special circumstances may arise that call for a sealed record to be unsealed. Typically, these occasions are either a court order to unseal or administrative review of the sealed record to ensure procedures were properly followed. Simply put the Unseal transaction reverses the Seal action.
Note: Expunged records are permanently deleted from the database; an expungement cannot be reversed.
Entry Process:
Agency: Agency identifier
Module: F1 dropdown, allows user to choose the type of record to be unsealed.
Format: If this box is checked then auto-formatting of the case number is activated.
Case Number: Record identifying number whether it is a report, citation, warrant, or major crime registrant entry.
Reports: Displays return of all records that match the identifying number within the case number field. Unique summary information is also displayed in the grid for confirmation purposes.
Name Verification: Only names that have been previously sealed will be displayed and available for the unseal transaction. Check the SELECTED box next to the appropriate name.
Seal Date: This field is the date of the current transaction.
Authority: Enter the name of the person conducting the unseal process.
Court Order Date: If this record is being unsealed by court order enter the date of the order. If this is an administrative unseal leave this field blank.
Court Case Number: Enter the court number to identify the order if applicable.
Judge: Name of judge that signed the order, if applicable.
Reason: Free text box to document additional information regarding the reason for the unseal transaction.
Comment: Free text box to document any additional information regarding the transaction if needed.
Unseal button: This will initiate the unseal action based on the information filled out on form. A confirmation pop-up box will be presented and user must confirm for the transaction to be completed. After confirming the action, a second message box will pop-up indicating the action was successful and link to MNI has been reinstated
Clear Button: Removes data from fields.
Quit: Closes the module.
Source: Seal Expunge Product Description.docx