12-4516a. Expungement of city ordinance violations; disclosure limited upon filing of petition. (a) Any person who has been arrested on a violation of a city ordinance of this state may petition the court for the expungement of such arrest record.

(b) When a petition for expungement is filed, the court shall set a date for hearing on such petition and shall cause notice of such hearing to be given to the prosecuting attorney and the arresting law enforcement agency. When a petition for expungement is filed, the official court file shall be separated from the other records of the court, and shall be disclosed only to a judge of the court and members of the staff of the court designated by a judge of the district court, the prosecuting attorney, the arresting law enforcement agency, or any other person when authorized by a court order, subject to any conditions imposed by the order. The petition shall state:

(1) The petitioner's full name;

(2) the full name of the petitioner at the time of arrest, if different than the petitioner's current name;

(3) the petitioner's sex, race and date of birth;

(4) the crime for which the petitioner was arrested;

(5) the date of the petitioner's arrest; and

(6) the identity of the arresting law enforcement agency.

A municipal court may prescribe a fee to be charged as costs for a person petitioning for an order of expungement pursuant to this section, except that no fee shall be charged to a person who was arrested as a result of being a victim of identity theft under K.S.A. 21-4018, prior to its repeal, or K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 21-6107, and amendments thereto. Any person who may have relevant information about the petitioner may testify at the hearing. The court may inquire into the background of the petitioner.

(c) At the hearing on a petition for expungement, the court shall order the arrest record and subsequent court proceedings, if any, expunged upon finding:

(1) The arrest occurred because of mistaken identity;

(2) a court has found that there was no probable cause for the arrest;

(3) the petitioner was found not guilty in court proceedings;

(4) the arrest was for a violation of any ordinance that is prohibited by either K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 12-16,134(a) or (b), and amendments thereto, and which was adopted prior to July 1, 2014; or

(5) the expungement would be in the best interests of justice and: (A) Charges have been dismissed; or (B) no charges have been or are likely to be filed.

(d) When the court has ordered expungement of an arrest record and subsequent court proceedings, if any, the order shall state the information required to be stated in the petition and shall state the grounds for expungement under subsection (c). The clerk of the court shall send a certified copy of the order to the Kansas bureau of investigation which shall notify the federal bureau of investigation, the secretary of corrections and any other criminal justice agency which may have a record of the arrest. If an order of expungement is entered, the petitioner shall be treated as not having been arrested.

(e) If the ground for expungement is as provided in subsection (c)(5), the court shall determine whether, in the interest of public welfare, the records should be available for any of the following purposes:

(1) In any application for employment as a detective with a private detective agency, as defined by K.S.A. 75-7b01, and amendments thereto; as security personnel with a private patrol operator, as defined by K.S.A. 75-7b01, and amendments thereto; or with an institution, as defined in K.S.A. 76-12a01, and amendments thereto, of the Kansas department for aging and disability services;

(2) in any application for admission, or for an order of reinstatement, to the practice of law in this state;

(3) to aid in determining the petitioner's qualifications for employment with the Kansas lottery or for work in sensitive areas within the Kansas lottery as deemed appropriate by the executive director of the Kansas lottery;

(4) to aid in determining the petitioner's qualifications for executive director of the Kansas racing commission, for employment with the commission or for work in sensitive areas in parimutuel racing as deemed appropriate by the executive director of the commission, or to aid in determining qualifications for licensure or renewal of licensure by the commission;

(5) in any application for a commercial driver's license under K.S.A. 8-2,125 through 8-2,142, and amendments thereto;

(6) to aid in determining the petitioner's qualifications to be an employee of the state gaming agency;

(7) to aid in determining the petitioner's qualifications to be an employee of a tribal gaming commission or to hold a license issued pursuant to a tribal-state gaming compact; or

(8) in any other circumstances which the court deems appropriate.

(f) The court shall make all expunged records and related information in such court's possession, created prior to, on and after July 1, 2011, available to the Kansas bureau of investigation for the purposes of:

(1) Completing a person's criminal history record information within the central repository in accordance with K.S.A. 22-4701 et seq., and amendments thereto; or

(2) providing information or documentation to the federal bureau of investigation, in connection with the national instant criminal background check system, to determine a person's qualification to possess a firearm.

(g) Subject to any disclosures required under subsection (e), in any application for employment, license or other civil right or privilege, or any appearance as a witness, a person whose arrest records have been expunged as provided in this section may state that such person has never been arrested.

(h) Whenever a petitioner's arrest records have been expunged as provided in this section, the custodian of the records of arrest, incarceration due to arrest or court proceedings related to the arrest, shall not disclose the arrest or any information related to the arrest, except as directed by the order of expungement or when requested by the person whose arrest record was expunged.

History: L. 1998, ch. 131, § 2; L. 2001, ch. 69, § 1; L. 2006, ch. 149, § 5; L. 2011, ch. 30, § 103; L. 2011, ch. 100, § 3; L. 2014, ch. 97, § 10; L. 2015, ch. 100, § 4; July 1.

Section was also amended by L. 2011, ch. 30, § 103, but that version was repealed by L. 2011, ch. 100, § 22.

Section was amended twice in the 2014 session, see also 12-4516c.