Do you know that public records are important and can in fact verify a person’s background? Doing background checks for criminal records, checking for birth, death, marriage and divorce are essential as they contain information about an individual. Although public records are accessible by the public, there are some instances wherein access to such records is limited. An example would be Arizona arrest records; these records are restricted when the case has not yet reached conviction or is still undergoing investigation. One can however check one’s own criminal background and it is easy to do so in Arizona.
For those who want a copy of public arrest records, there are several ways to do so. Researchers can send their request via online, walk in, standard mail and through fax. All requests must be made in writing or submitted online using the site’s Public Records Request Form. All requests once processed will generate an invoice and this will be sent to the person requesting the records via USPS, email or fax.
To pay for the records, researchers can pay through several payment methods. They can send in a business check, money order or a cashier’s check. Personal checks are not accepted. Once payment is received, the records will be released to the person requesting the information. Processing can take within 15 to 20 days upon the receipt of the request. The Arizona Public Records Unit does not have an entrance for walk in or in person requests. Request should be dropped off the public counter at the Department Records Unit. All records are subject for review and as such, a researcher should make an appointment with the Document Custodian to review the record’s content.
The State charges fees with the request that a person makes. For a 9-page record, the Office charges $9 and $1 for each additional page. For other media formats the Office charges ($35) for CD/DVD, ($35) for 8 x 10 photos, ($5) for cassette tapes and ($35) for photo CD copies. To ensure that all information is correct, the government sets up review sessions. The review is via appointment only and should be done by contacting the Office and leaving their name, contact number and the invoice/receipt number.
For those who want to do background checks on themselves, one can visit the Criminal History Records Section. The Record section is the State’s central database for all criminal reports in the State. Requesting for personal criminal background check is free and one would only need to obtain a copy of the records review packet to request the report. The packet contains a request form and a guide on how to make the request. Processing time can take about 2 weeks depending on the volume of requests received by the Records Section. The report is sent to the person’s mailing address.
For those who need to find arrest search records, the fastest and most convenient way to do so is to use commercial public record sites instead of the government site. Commercial public search sites allow one to check several records conveniently at a time and thus can be ideal for big companies that require background check of their employees or candidates. Other records are also accessible using commercial online search sites such as vital records, property, criminal records and warrants of arrest.
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