Computerized Criminal History (CCH)

The State's Computerized Criminal History (CCH) system contains data on subjects arrested for misdemeanors and felonies in South Dakota (per SDCL 23-5-1 and 4) that go through the State courts, along with all penitentiary entries and follow-up information.

The CCH system is used by the criminal justice community for decisions regarding investigations, arrests, bail/bond, charges, plea bargains, convictions, probation and placement in correctional facilities. It is also used for background searches on individuals seeking employment or for licensing purposes.

These criminal history records are 100% fingerprint-based and are available 24 hours daily to criminal justice entities via telecommunication.  Since 1994, the DCI system has interfaced with the Unified Judicial System (courts) to receive sentencing information electronically which vastly improves the quality (i.e. completeness and timeliness) of criminal records maintained by the state criminal repository.

The ID Section forwards serious crimes to the FBI as the sole channeling agency in South Dakota for providing such information.  The repository processes approximately 30,000 arrest incidents yearly and has over 185,000 subjects on file.

The ID Section processes approximately 15,000 applicant checks yearly in accordance with state law (SDCL 23-5-12). These are all fingerprint-based searches and require a signed waiver. There is a $20 processing fee.

• SD Requirements for Background Checks (59K PDF)
• Waiver Form (39K PDF)

For more information or supplies, call (605) 773-3331 and ask for the ID or Records Section.