2024 Annual Report - BCI

The Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) manages the state's criminal records, including sex offender registration and firearm background checks, and facilitates the expungement of eligible criminal records to provide individuals with a second chance. They also provide training and system access to law enforcement and other agencies.

Executive Summary

  • Firearm Background Checks and Dashboard: The Brady Section performed the fourth highest number of firearm background checks in a year. They are developing a public-facing dashboard to replace static reports, providing comparative data on background checks, denials, and reasons for denial over the past 25 years.
  • Offender Registry Transition and Management: Following a successful move to BCI, the Offender Registry processed nearly 26,000 registration forms, added 1,932 offenders to the public website, initiated 312 failure to register charges, removed 221 offenders, conducted 16 training sessions, processed nearly 1,700 name changes, and trained users on the SONAR and CAOR systems. The registry also cleared an FBI audit with one finding that has been addressed.
  • Expungement Processing and Improvements: The Expungement Team received over 4,400 expungement applications, issued nearly 23,000 certificates, processed over 7,800 court orders, removed over 23,700 incidents from criminal history, and forwarded over 119,000 incidents to law enforcement. The current wait time for petitioned expungements is 34 days. Significant progress has been made on clean slate expungements. Legislative changes were implemented regarding fee waivers for indigent applicants and a pause on automated clean slate processing. A public portal was launched for application status updates.
  • Expungement Program Enhancements for 2025: The Expungement Program will undergo a major rewrite in 2025 to improve processing, streamline procedures, and enhance customer service. Planned updates include expanded submission capabilities, enhanced program views and dashboards, improved tracking and reporting, finalization process improvements, a transition away from Adobe, and automated docket information import.

Offender Registry Move to DPS

  • After a successful move to the Bureau of Criminal Identification from the Department of Corrections, the Offender Registry team worked to ensure accurate and timely reporting to the registry.

    Highlights

  • 1,932 Offenders added to the Utah Public Sex/Kidnap Offender Website.

  • 25,925 offender registration forms received and processed.

  • 312 Witness Statements used for preliminary hearings (1102 Statements) regarding failure to register, permission slips, and protected area violations.

  • 213 offenders were successfully removed after the expiration of their Utah registration requirement, and 8 were removed following court-ordered removal.

  • 16 training sessions conducted for outside agencies, starting July 1st, 2024, after the move to BCI.

  • 1,697 initial name change requests processed.

  • 141 SONAR users were trained and granted access to the system. 70 CAOR users were trained and granted access to the system.

  • Cleared with one finding of noncompliance attributed to “lack of knowledge and/or training by the Registry’s vendor.” The issue has been addressed with the vendor, and UCJIS has been updated by IT to allow for manual modification. (FBI NSOR Audit)

Creation of Firearm Dashboard

The Brady Section acts as the Point of Contact (POC) for all firearm releases covered under the Brady Bill by conducting background checks on potential recipients from licensed firearm dealers in Utah. This year, the fourth most background checks were performed for firearm purchases.

The Brady Section is working with the Department of Technology Services to create a public-facing dashboard to replace static quarterly reports on firearm background checks, firearm purchase denials, reasons for denial, etc. The dashboard will provide comparative data from the past 25 years.

Expungements

The Expungement Team works to provide a “second chance” to individuals by removing eligible criminal convictions and arrest records. This promotes justice and rehabilitation, allowing individuals to rebuild their lives free from the stigma of a criminal past. Clearing records opens access to employment, housing, and education.

Highlights

  • BCI received 4,439 applications for expungement
  • Issued 22,940 certificates for the courts
  • Processed 7,813 orders for expungement from the court
  • BCI manually removed 23,708 incidents from Utah Criminal History
  • Forwarded 119,428 incidents to law enforcement
  • Processing time improvements
  • Currently, the wait time for a Petitioned-Based Expungement is 34 days. The bureau received 474,480 records for clean slate expungements and has processed 297,531 of those, with 176,012 records remaining.

Expungement Program Updates

During the 2023 legislative session, House Bill 352 and Senate Bill 163 introduced a “fee waiver” process for those who are indigent beginning October 1, 2024. This would waive the bureau’s certificate fees and court filing fees with the courts. As of December 9, 2024, the bureau has received 171 of those indigent applications. HB352 and SB136 also passed a “pause” on the automated processing of Clean Slate and Auto Expungement incidents beginning October 1, 2024, and ending on January 1, 2026. During this pause period, a person could still have their Clean Slate and Auto Expungements completed but now would need to initiate that process with the courts through a form. The process was also streamlined so that agencies no longer need to expunge records the bureau has sent unless they are releasing a record that has been expunged. This legislation also prioritized the bureau in which records received from the courts are expunged.

Expungement Public Portal Updates

On October 1, 2024, a public portal was launched to provide petitioners with application status updates using submission/receipt numbers and birth dates. While usage statistics are not yet available, the expungement team promotes this resource and provides guidance on accessing it through our website.

Legislative Updates

  • Revisions to all customer correspondence to align with legislative requirements under HB352 and SB163.
  • Creation of new letters, including indigent approval notifications and BCI collection fee letters.
  • Enhanced rejection letters to provide clear guidance on deficiencies and required corrective actions to continue the application processing.
  • Introduction of a fingerprint-only application notice rejections where additional payment is unnecessary, streamlining the resubmission process.

Expungement Program Enhancements

In 2025, the Expungement Program will undergo significant rewriting to improve application processing, streamline internal procedures, and enhance customer service.

Key updates include:

  • Expanded Submission Capabilities
  • Enhanced Program Views
  • Dashboard Enhancements
  • Enhanced tracking and reporting on application types, certificate statistics, order finalizations, fee statuses, offense categories, dispositions, and charge classifications.
  • Finalization Process Improvements
  • Transition from Adobe
  • Data Integration
  • Automated docket information import, similar to existing criminal history data integration.