Centerville Police Department will offer a chance to clean up criminal records

CENTERVILLE – The Centerville Police Department is hosting a Records Restriction opportunity for citizens to clean their criminal records on Saturday, June 7. 

The event is in partnership with local agencies, including the Warner Robins Police Department, Perry Police Department and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. The PPD previously hosted the event, but this year, CPD took over to host it at the Centerville Community Room. 

Police Chief Cedric Duncan invited those with prior charges on their criminal record to come in and have them removed. Often, when someone is charged, their case does not go to court, but it is still listed in their criminal record. If the charge is removed from their criminal record, it allows them to become a viable candidate for employment, he said.

When PPD hosted the event, Duncan would assist. From there, he told one of the organizers that if they needed an alternative venue, he would be glad to bring the event to Centerville. This year, they reached out to Duncan, and he did not hesitate to say yes. 

Those interested only need to bring a form of identification to prove their identity. Duncan said they handle the rest, and they have the necessary paperwork. 

“[Those] worried about their background not being able to get a position this clears that up and makes them viable citizens again. Once we have more people eligible to work, the workforce will increase,” he said.

Duncan hopes citizens will take advantage of the free event and get their records taken care of. He said they try to host it at a centralized location to make it easier for attendees.

“It’s up to the citizen who want to do better [and] to come here and get everything straightened out,” he said.

Duncan encourages people to spread the word and, if they know someone who has a charge that can be corrected, to point them to the Records Restriction opportunity. 

The Records Restriction event will take place on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. The Centerville Community Room is located at 300 East Church Street.