How to get a Pardon in Canada - Step 3

If you have been following my recent articles on how to get a pardon in Canada, you now know how to get your certified criminal records, court documents and proof of convictions. In this article, we will discuss how to obtain local police checks, the next step in your pardon application.

In order to have the your pardon considered, you need to demonstrate that you have been of good conduct in the last five years, notwithstanding any summary convictions on your record during that period. To do this, you will need to obtain a local police records check from the police that held jurisdiction over each and every area of residence you have held in the last 5 years.

The first thing you need to do is identify each local police that is relevant to your case, and begin researching their contact details and local police policies regarding the release of information. Professional pardon service firms maintain databases on every police and court in Canada, including contact details and policies, for this purpose. If you can afford a modest fee to have your pardon application professionally managed, you will be far better off. Learn more about the pardon process of a professional service, otherwise you will have to invest the time and energy yourself into this part of the pardon process.

When you have identified the local police checks you require, you will need to attend each police station with a copy of your Local Police Check form, a copy of your CPIC criminal record, and a copy of your fingerprints (the civil product).

Most police require a fee to complete a local police records check. Fees range from $20 to $80, depending on the city. When you have submitted the local police check(s), make a schedule on your calendar to follow up with each police on a periodic basis. Unless you stay on top of the police, your record checks can take up to 6 months or more. Again, this is where you might benefit from having your file professionally managed, since firms such as Express Pardons have automatic systems for following up on local police checks. They also handle all of your local police checks across the country, so you don't have to worry about the next issue.

What if you no longer live near the police that you need a local police check from? In this case you will have to make some special arrangements. In most cases you will be able to mail the Local Police Records Check with a money order for the fee, a copy of two pieces of ID notarized by a lawyer or notary public, and a signed authorization waiving the liability for the police to release your police check document.

Prepare the following package:

1. The Local Police Records Check, page one and two, signed, dated and authorization line filled out with the official name of the police in question.
2. An authorization waiver, waiving liability for the police to release your records check.
3. A copy of your CPIC criminal record.
4. A copy of your fingerprint (civil product).
5. A notarized copy of two pieces of ID, one of which should be photo ID.
6. A money order for the amount of the local police check fee, made payable according to the instructions of that particular local police.

Notarized ID can be purchased from a lawyer or notary public for a fee, usually between $25 - $80.

When you have prepared the above, you can mail it to the local police in question with instructions to return the completed document to your address.

Occasionally, the local police will not accept request by mail. In these cases, you will have to make further special arrangements.

Attend your current local police, and make the following request. Have your current local police verify your identity by checking your ID. Then, request that they prepare a letter addressed to the other local police from which you need a local police check. Have your current local police take your local police check package (as described above) along with their own letter indicating they have verified your identity, and mail it to the other local police with a request that they complete your local police check and return it to your current local police for you to then pick it up.

In your calendar, schedule follow-ups with both your current local police and the other local police to ensure that the request is received, accepted, processed, and then returned to your current local police, all in a relatively timely manner.

It is essential that you manage multiple local police checks efficiently, because they are time sensitive (6 months). If you get one local police check and end up waiting too long for the second or third, you will have to re-do the first one before you get the chance to file them all with your pardon application. This process can easily become a vicious circle as each Police Check expires will the other comes in. Of course, if you would rather have someone else deal with these headaches, you can always just apply for a pardon through a legal service professional.

What if you lived outside of Canada within the last five years? In these cases you will have to obtain a foreign local police records check. First, you must find the local police that held jurisdiction over the foreign area in which you lived. You will then have to write to them to obtain a foreign local police records check. Many of these foreign police may not have a standardized local police check form. In these cases, you will have to request what is generally referred to as a "Letter of Good Conduct". Request your foreign local police checks first, as they tend to take much longer to receive than your Canadian local police checks.

What if the police list something on the Local Police Check form? There are two sections on the local police check form which are completed by the police. On the first section, police indicate whether there is any information the Pardon Board should be aware of when making a decision on your pardon. These details, if any, will usually refer to any public complaints against you, speeding tickets or other municipal infractions, or records of arrest or other police interventions involving you. For the most part you can ignore these as they will not typically affect your pardon, although they may prompt a proposal to deny by the National Parole Board when reviewing your pardon. I will discuss proposals to deny in a later post.

The second section of the local police check is for the police to indicate any criminal offences that they are aware of which do not already appear on your CPIC criminal record. If there are any entries in this section of your local police check(s), you MUST obtain a proof of conviction for these offences before your pardon will be considered by the board. Refer to my article,How To Get A Pardon - Step 2 ,for more information on how to obtain a proof of conviction.

When you have gathered all of your required local police record checks, you will be ready to move onto the next step in applying for a Canadian pardon. I'll discuss this in my next article.

In the meantime, feel free to visit my blog for more reading on this subject and others.