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What's CPIC?

From wikipedia: 
The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) is the central police database where Canada's law enforcement agencies can access information on a number of matters. It is Canada's only national law enforcement networking computer system ensuring officers all across the country can access the same information. 
So how does it work?

The first step

A criminal history file is created the first time an individual is charged by police. In most cases, it will be reported by the charging police service to the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), a central database. It is supposed to be destroyed by CPIC after five years if there is no disposition in the case.

After a conviction

If the charge results in a conviction, a permanent file – a "criminal record" – is created. Cases where there is an acquittal, or charges are stayed or withdrawn, also remain in the national system and, depending on the nature of the case, are purged after a set amount of time.

Who gets access

The CPIC information can be viewed by some government departments and agencies and more than 80,000 law enforcement officers from across the country including some 'friendly' countries.

Different CPIC levels

There are three levels to the criminal history section of CPIC, and varying degrees of access.

The Criminal Name Index (CNI), the most basic, is simply a list of names of people for whom a criminal record may exist.

The next level, the Criminal Record Synopsis, is a more robust database containing personal information and physical characteristics. It indicates which of 15 criminal offence types – such as violence, weapons and criminal driving – a person has been charged with, whether they have been convicted and warnings if a person is considered dangerous to themselves or others. There are no exact charges. For violence, for example, the underlying charge can range from assault to murder.

This is the level available to police officers via computers in their cruisers. It is used to check for criminal histories and warnings.

The third level, known as Criminal Records II, or full criminal record, contains the most detailed information regarding Canadians with criminal records, including exact charges, dates of convictions, detailed dispositions and where the crimes took place. Police agencies can request this deeper information.
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