If you have a criminal record in Los Angeles, California and you want to have it expunged, you will need to file a petition with the court that oversaw your original hearing. The petition requires that you provide all of the relevant information pertaining to your case, such as the name of the arresting agency, the date of your arrest and disposition, and your case identification number. You will also need to have all of the information about any other arrests and/or charges on your criminal record. Before you can begin to fill out and file the petition, you will need to know where to get your Los Angeles criminal record.
To obtain your criminal record in Los Angeles, California, you can contact the court in Los Angeles where your case originally occurred, you can contact the California DOJ (Department of Justice) for a copy of your records, or you can hire a private attorney who can research your case for you.
How to Obtain your Record
If you chose to contact the court directly, you need to keep in mind that you will have to contact the court that oversaw your original case, as they are the court that will have a copy of the records for your case. The court clerk will be the one assisting you by answering questions about your case, so be prepared to give them as much information as possible such as your legal name, date of birth, and case number – if possible, and be prepared to ask for the specific information that you will need. It is important to remember that while the court clerk can answer questions about your case, they cannot dispense legal advice, nor can they help you to fill out your petition. Similarly, if you contact the DOJ, you should be prepared to supply them with as much information as possible.
While you always have the option to get your Los Angeles criminal record on your own, it can be worth investing in hiring a private agency, such as an attorney, to conduct research for you. An attorney will be familiar with the process of getting criminal records and can help save you time by sending the request for the records for your case(s) accurately the first time. If you choose to hire an attorney to conduct research for you, make sure that the attorney is licensed through the state of California and has earned an A rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Read more great articles on our Los Angeles expungement blog.
