Records Section
Boise County Sheriff’s Office
208-392-6059
The Sheriff’s Records section is responsible for document storage, retrieval, and management; repository for all official sheriff’s reports, and records. This is only a small portion of the responsibilities of the Records Clerk / Driver’s License Examiner / Civil Deputy. As an employee of the Sheriff’s Office it is the clerk’s duty to insure that the information is appropriately made available, to the public, and this takes time to prepare responses to requests.
Release criteria for Law Enforcement records are somewhat different than other public records. Any open, on-going investigation must be completed before records can be released. Victim and personal information has to be protected. Release of information must ensure that a subject’s right to a fair trial is not jeopardized. See Idaho Code 74-124 “Exemptions from Disclosure – Confidentiality“. It’s a sensitive balancing act that requires individual review of each request.
Traffic accident reports can be released immediately to individuals involved, providing the accident did not involve serious injury or death, which would require further investigation. Please keep in mind that officers sometimes do not submit accident reports the same day they happen and the reports can only be released upon completion.
Requesting a Record
If you wish to make a request for public records, you must complete a written request and be very specific about the type of record you are requesting. No information is released pursuant to telephone requests. If it is a record on an individual, complete names are required with dates of birth and/or social security numbers to ensure the right record is provided. There is a fee for copying the record and this must be paid before the record may be released.
What information is private?
Private information can in general be defined as personally identifiable information. Some examples are name, address, Social Security Number, date of birth, FBI#, State ID #, LE#, Driver’s License #, vehicle registration, health related data, etc. Criminal History records are protected from public release by Idaho Code 67-3009 which states “it is unlawful for a person for personal gain to request, obtain, or attempt to obtain criminal history records under false pretenses or willfully communicate or attempt to communicate criminal history records to any agency or person not authorized to receive the information by law”.
To print a request for public records form, please click on the link below: