Police Background Check

Student Life program and event leaders will send volunteers the password to our webpage in order to download their volunteer letter here.  Please note – paid student staff are NOT eligible to use a volunteer letter for their employment requirements.

The Ottawa Police Record Check Services has moved to an online system. You can either have your PRC emailed to you (in .pdf) form or mailed to you.  You can still get your Police Record Check processed online at www.ottawapolice.ca/en/contact-us/Police-Record-Checks.aspx).

Any questions or concerns related to Ottawa Police Record Checks should be directed to RecordsCheck@ottawapolice.ca.

The Ottawa Police Department general requires two pieces of ID and proof of Ottawa residence address; complete information and steps required can be found on their website.

While processing times can vary, the Ottawa Police Department are currently advising a 24-48 hour cycle.

Timelines are subject to a Monday-Friday work schedule and any requirement to contact other Police Services may add additional processing time. Processing timelines do not account for postage processing (if applicable).

Please contact the Ottawa Police Department at RecordsCheck@ottawapolice.ca with any questions.

If you are volunteering for a Student Life event or program and do not have an Ottawa residence, you will need to obtain a Police Record Check in your home district.  Each district has different requirements; we strongly encourage participants to reach out to their local Police Department early to identify the steps that might be involved and contact your program lead to discuss any supporting documents that we can help provide (IE – volunteer letters, letter of support, etc).

If you are having difficulty obtaining your police record check, please send us an email at prc@carleton.ca with your name, student number, area/address and information about the program/event you are volunteering with.

As per Ottawa Police; records checks are a point in time search and only valid on the day they are issued, since information can change from day-to-day. The police service does not determine an expiry date.  For our Student Life programming, we will accept PRCs issued on or after November 1st, 2023.

Please note, the PRCs are an added step of security in-addition to our review through Carleton’s Judiciary List where we reach out to various campus stakeholders to ensure potential volunteers are in good standing.

Yes – all paid staff members working with the Student Life Team are required to provide a Police Record Check with a Vulnerable Sector Check level as part of their employment.  As a paid employee, you are NOT eligible to use a Volunteer Letter and must cover any expenses associated with this process on your own.  If you have any questions, please contact your hiring manager.

Please submit your Police Record Check through the same database for our files.

If you have received your PRC, please complete our PRC Submission Form which will provide prompts for your next steps which will include emailing a copy to prc@carleton.ca.