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What is the Criminal Convictions Records Request Service?

The Online Criminal Convictions Records Request Service is provided by the Vermont Crime Information Center to allow citizens and businesses who need to run Criminal Convictions background checks a means of retrieving and paying for those records immediately. Payment, if necessary, will be processed at the time of the online request. Any resulting record from the request will be returned to the user immediately, no waiting necessary.

What is necessary to request a Criminal Conviction Record?

To request a Criminal Conviction Record, you must agree to the terms and conditions regarding making a request, have the name and date of birth of the person you wish to make the request for, and have a valid means of payment. Payment may be made via credit card, Vermont.gov subscriber billing account, or free of charge for Vulnerable Populations Agencies.

How is the fee set for the Vermont criminal conviction record?

The Vermont State Legislature sets the fee for the purchase of the Vermont criminal conviction record.

What is done with the information I submit?

All information you submit through the Criminal Convictions Records service is used solely to identify you as the requester of a record, and to identify the correct record to return to you. We use this information solely for this purpose. For further informaton about the security and privacy of using this application, please refer to the Vermont.gov Privacy Policy and the Vermont.gov Security Policy.

Are there any other means of requesting a record electronically besides the online service?

The Vermont Crime Information Center does provide a means of direct computer to computer requests of Criminal Convictions Records. This service is only available to Vermont.gov Subscribers who complete a supplementary form authorizing their access to this means of record delivery. This method is intended for automated processes and computer-to-computer communications as opposed to human-based searches. Authentication of your account is required using a standard web-based username-password login. If no username and password is supplied, you will be prompted to enter them.

How do I arrange to run large numbers of record checks?

Large numbers of record checks may be performed one at a time through the online service at any time. Large volume requests done without having to go through the online service are only available to Vermont.gov Subscribers using the computer-to-computer automated interface. For more information, please contact the Vermont.gov Helpdesk at 802-229-4171 x224, or by email at portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com.

What protections are in place to deter improper dissemination of a Vermont Criminal Conviction Report?

Prior to access all users of the Vermont Criminal Conviction Record Internet Service are required to acknowledge and conform to an electronic on line user agreement which outlines the legal ramifications for misuse.

How do I get a certified copy of a record check?

If a certified copy of a record check is required you will need to appear in person at the Vermont Crime Information Center. For more information please go to: http://vcic.vermont.gov/record_checks.

What is a Vulnerable Populations Agency?

A qualified entity for VPA status, is defined as an individual, business, governmental agency, or organization, whether public, private, for-profit, not-for-profit, or voluntary whose employees, contractors, or volunteers provide care or care placement services for vulnerable populations. Providing care for vulnerable populations means the provision of care, treatment, education, training, instruction, or supervision to children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities. The entity's PRIMARY function must be to provide care to vulnerable populations.

How do I apply for status as a Vulnerable Populations Agency?

You may apply online today using the Vulnerable Populations Agency Application.

How long will it take to find out if my application for status as a VPA has been approved?

Normally, you will be contacted by VCIC regarding your application within 5 to 7 business days.

How do I login with my Vulnerable Populations Agency Account?

You may login with your Vulnerable Populations Agency Account or your Vermont.gov subscriber account by clicking on "Sign-In Here" in the upper right of the screen, in the header, from any page of the service other than this help page.

What do I do if I forgot my username/password for my VPA Account?

As a VPA account holder, you may contact the Vermont Crime Information Center at 802-241-5320, the Vermont.gov Helpdesk at 802-229-4171 x224, or by email at portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com to have your password reset or to recover your username.

I already am a VPA with VCIC, how do I obtain my usernames/passwords?

If you already have been approved as a VPA by VCIC, your account is preauthorized. If you fill out the Online Vulnerable Populations Agency Application, your accounts will be created within one business day. You will receive an email containing your accounts.

What is a Vermont.gov Subscriber?

Vermont.gov Subscribers pay for requests through a single detailed monthly bill rather than at the time of the request. If you use other Vermont.gov Subscriber services, all services will appear on a single bill.

How do I become a Vermont.gov Subscriber and set up billing?

Please refer to the Subscriber Services Section on Vermont.gov for more information on the steps and procedures to become Vermont.gov subscriber.

I am already a Vermont.gov Subscriber for another service, how do I access this service?

As a Vermont.gov Subscriber, you are pre-authorized to access Criminal Convictions Records through the online service application front-end. Please contact the Vermont.gov Helpdesk at 802-229-4171 x224, or by email at portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com to configure your account for access.

If you would like to access the direct "computer-to-computer" record pull system, please contact the Vermont.gov helpdesk to obtain the authorization form that must be signed. You may also download this form from the Subscriber Services Section on Vermont.gov.

Is using my credit card online safe?

Vermont state government takes Internet security very seriously. Our technology and policies are designed to make your online transactions safe, private and secure. Documented steps are taken to safeguard information according to established security standards and procedures and we continually evaluate the newest technology for protecting information.

Sensitive information passed in online transactions such as social security numbers, banking information, and personal data is confidential. Please refer to our privacy policy for details about the collection of information from visitors to state websites.

Our secure socket layer (SSL) software uses state-of-the-art 128-bit encryption to ensure that your personal and financial information cannot be intercepted during transmission to our server.

All information requests pass through hardware and software security firewalls.

Encrypted personal information includes credit card numbers as well as social security numbers and banking information.

When will I receive my requested record?

Records are delivered immediately upon request. The record will be displayed in your browser in addition to buttons being present that allow you to print the record, or save it as a file to your computer.

How will the charge show up on my credit card?

The charge for your request will appear on your credit card as "Vermont Government Services".

How many records are currently in the Vermont criminal history repository?

On 12/15/2008 there were in excess 200,000 records available in the database. Some records date back as far as the 1940's.

What is the source for the data stored in the Vermont criminal history repository?

VCIC populates the database with information obtained from the following sources: fingerprint cards taken pursuant to arrest; District court filings, disposition data, and other district court generated documents; reports from State.s Attorneys; and documentation from other criminal justice agencies.

How is the search performed using the information I submitted?

The date of birth is searched as is against the database of Criminal Convictions Records. The First Name-Last Name combination is searched for as either the name of the person on the record, or as an alias on the record. For instance, if you search for John Smith with a date of birth of 01/15/1950, a record with the name "Smith, John" will match, and a record with an Alias of "Smith, John" will match.

The "Alias" fields are provided in this online service not to search the alias field of the database, but to provide for alternate spellings of the name being searched for. For instance, John may be spelled Jon, or Johnny. The alternate spelling may not be listed as a known alias on the record itself, so you may search for alternate spellings using the online service "Alias" fields.

What is contained within a Criminal Convictions Record?

A Criminal Convictions Record will contain only crimes for which an individual has been convicted in a Vermont District Court. The Criminal Conviction report includes both misdemeanors and felonies. Only motor vehicle convictions adjudicated in a Vermont District Court after 9/1/1995 are returned. The record will contain the date of conviction, county of jurisdiction, conviction offense, conviction level and sentence.

What is NOT contained within a Criminal Convictions Record?

A Criminal Convictions Record will NOT contain motor vehicle violations not prosecuted in Vermont District Court before 9/1/1995, cases which have been dismissed, referred to diversion or where prosecution was declined, victim information, juvenile or family court cases and cases that have been sealed, pardoned or expunged. The Criminal Conviction Record will not contain any individual's personal identifying information other then the name and DOB that the user is required to provide.

How long are records retained in the Vermont criminal history repository?

Records are accessible indefinitely unless expunged or sealed by a court order or removed through a Governor's pardon.

What format are records returned in?

Records are returned in plain text (ASCII) format .txt files. If you are using the automated pull computer-to-computer service, the record will be returned to you immediately in plain text format. If you are using the online service, you will be shown a display of the record, and given the option to save the record as a plain text file. These files contain only line breaks (not line break/carriage returns), therefore on windows computers, you should view them using Wordpad or Word rather than Notepad.

What are the possible results from a record request?

All requests to the online service or the computer-to-computer service can result in four possible outputs:

• Successful Search, Record Found - Record is returned and shown to you immediately, a sample of a successful search record is available, you will be billed/charged for this search.
• No Record Found - No record matching your search parameters was found in the database, a sample of a "no record" search is available, you will be billed/charged for this search.
• Additional Information Needed - It is not possible to determine exactly which record in the database should be returned to you based on the information provided, further instructions will be returned to you in this unlikely event. A sample of this result is available, you will be billed/charged for this search.
• No Response - The database was unavailable or a technical error has occurred, you will not be billed/charged for this search.

Is there a sample successful record request that I can view?

Yes, a sample record of a successful search is available for viewing.

Is there a sample unsuccessful record request that I can view?

Yes, sample records are available for both a "no-hit" search and a "more information is necessary" search.

I received no response from the server, or the system is moving very slowly - why is this happening?

We are sorry for the inconvenience. When you see a blank page, or when the system is responding very slowly, it means that the system is temporarily down. Please try again in 10-15 minutes. If problems persist, contact the Vermont.gov help desk.

Are bulk criminal convictions records available for purchase?

No. Records may only be retrieved by providing the name and date of birth of the person for whom you with to make a request.

Who is authorized to challenge the content of a conviction record or report a possible error?

Only the individual who is the subject of a record can question the validity of the record.

Are there any periodic or weekly maintenance times when the system won't be available for searches?

There are no periodic or weekly maintenance times, the system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

In the event of planned maintenance that is outside any periodic maintenance windows, how will I be notified?

Any maintenance windows that are planned will be posted as far in advance as possible to the online service's homepage. For extended maintenance windows, all affected subscribers and Vulnerable Populations Agencies will be notified as far in advance as possible via email to the email address supplied on the Vermont.gov Subscriber Agreement from the subscriber.

Are there any test records that are free of charge?

Test records are available to Vulnerable Populations Agencies and Vermont.gov Subscribers using the automated pull, computer-to-computer service. If you are one of these users, a demonstration/practice record is available for users to run free of charge. The record is run with the first name of TEST and the last name of RECORD with a date of birth of 01/01/1950.

Is a test system provided that is separate from the live system?

No. A test system is not available to the internet user. All user requests will be queried against a live system.

Who do I contact if I'm experiencing technical difficultes?

Contact the Vermont.gov helpdesk, either by telephone at (802) 229-4171 (Monday through Friday 9-5) or by email at portal-feedback@vermont.nicusa.com

Where can I obtain more information regarding criminal record check services and best practices for record checks?

More information regarding criminal record check services and best practices if available at Vermont Crime Information Center website - http://vcic.vermont.gov

How do I obtain further information regarding a conviction report?

VCIC cannot legally provide any information beyond what you receive on the conviction report. If you require additional information regarding the convictions you can contact the Vermont District Court that is referenced in the specific conviction.