Arizona Background Check

How To Get a Arizona Background Check Report

The state does not provide background reports to the general public. The Department of Public Safety is the Central State Repository for all criminal history records in the state. All local and state law enforcement agencies are required by law (ARS 41-1750(G) and Public Law 92-544) to feed arrest and court disposition information into this system. Only authorized individuals and agencies can request criminal history information. The state does provide fingerprint-based background checks for authorized employers and non-profits. Individuals can obtain a copy of their own criminal background report by filling out a Record Review Packet. There is no fee for this service. Anyone needing a national background information can contact the FBI for information. For driving infractions, individuals can contact the state police for information. 
However, the court system does have a website where the public can go to search for civil and criminal court cases. Their system is updated daily.

What Does a Background Check Show?

A typical official Arizona background check will show convictions, arrest data, and court disposition information. Along with details of criminal arrests, open warrants, and incarcerations, the report will also reveal personal information like name, address, height, weight, race, gender, date of birth, age and other physical descriptors.

Purpose and Reasons

There are many reasons that companies and agencies use background information. Banks and credit unions sometimes use the data before lending money or financing individuals. Property owners use them before renting to tenants. Employers, especially government agencies use them before hiring new staff members. Anyone who will be working with children or ensuring the safety or care of others is subject to a background check as well. 
Public background reports are pulled from public and private sources and have other purposes such as checking out an individual before going into business with them or before dating. Sometimes it is essential to check out a new roommate or find an old friend from high school. These reports contain a lot of helpful information and can fill in a lot of blanks. Some of the information included will be:

• Criminal Records
• Arrests and Warrants
• Bankruptcy Filings          
• Legal Judgments

• Liens 

• Birth Records

• Marriages and Divorces 

• Property Records

• Auto, Vessel, Aircraft Ownership

• Current and Past Addresses

• Phone and Email Address

• Professional Licenses

• Relatives and Associates

• Social Media Accounts and More

AZ Criminal Background Checks

A criminal background check is aimed at uncovering someone’s criminal history and will show a detailed accounting of all illegal activity from the law enforcement agencies that processed them. Generally, they show arrests, warrants, police reports, prison details, sentencing, and criminal court case-related information. The state limits access to criminal records to only authorized personnel and employers who have the authority to receive them. They do provide fingerprint-based background reports to non-profits as well. 

Gun Background Check

Arizona does not mandate that licensed gun dealers run a state-level background check on someone before they purchase a firearm in the state. Private sales are not regulated, and owners do not have to run a background check before selling to a buyer. However, the dealers are required by federal firearms law to contact the FBI and use NICS to obtain a background information before selling firearms to potential buyers. 341.563 background checks have been processed in the state this year. Almost 40% of those were for handguns, and 23% were for long guns. 

Gun Checks & Gun-Related Death Rate

On average 377,838 gun checks annually are being conducted through NICS in California.

State Firearms Background Checks Initiated Through the NICS

Background Check Laws

Per Revised Statutes 41-1750, The state limits access to AZ background and criminal records information to only authorized personnel. This includes government agencies, law enforcement and some employers including non-profits. All criminal records are provided via fingerprints. The state does allow offenders the right to a free copy of their own criminal history by filling out a review packet of forms and submitting it to the repository. 

Employment Protection

All criminal background checks performed in Arizona for employment are subject to state and federal laws plus the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ensuring the accuracy of the data and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination. Employers using background checks during the hiring process must inform the applicant why they were denied employment if based on information contained within the report. 

Public Background Check Reports Usage

According to The Fair Credit Reporting Act, when using sites like InfoTracer to obtain a background report, the information cannot legally be used to determine credit, employment, tenant screening or any other eligibility requirements for business or professional use. 

Online Romance Scam Statistics

In 2017, there have been 327 victims of online romance scams in Arizona, resulting in $6.8 million adjusted losses associated with these complaints.

Victims by Age Group