Phoenix Police Background Check

Start with the city and the requested product

Phoenix, Arizona and Phoenix, Oregon have separate police departments. For an Arizona review of your own local arrest history, choose the Letter of Clearance / Review of Criminal History. A Phoenix police job application instead follows the hiring investigation. For Oregon, ask for that department’s local police records check or name search. Put the state and the exact product on your request before providing identification or paying.

The Arizona letter covers Phoenix Police Department arrest and criminal records only. It does not search other cities, Arizona’s statewide repository or federal records. Ask the organization receiving the letter whether this local scope meets its requirement; a letter with no Phoenix arrest record cannot establish that someone has no record elsewhere.

Check Arizona eligibility and assemble the packet

You may obtain the Arizona clearance only on yourself. The current clearance portal will not accept or process requests for children under 14. Download its Letter of Clearance Information sheet, arrange a full set of fingerprints endorsed by the fingerprint provider, and bring a valid, unexpired government photo ID. The Records and Services Unit has permanently stopped providing fingerprinting, so use a separate provider.

For a mailed request, the police instructions also require a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment. There is an identification detail to resolve before mailing: the department page specifically requires original foreign-issued identification, while the service portal says original government identification must be provided. Call 602-534-1127 about the accepted way to present your particular ID rather than mailing an irreplaceable original based on an assumption.

Pay for the correct clearance and use the current address

Published clearance charges are $8.50 when no arrest record is found and $28 when there is an arrest record. Checks are payable to the City of Phoenix. Fingerprinting arranged through a private provider is separate. If you do not know which clearance charge applies, have the records unit confirm how to submit payment before sending the packet.

The portal accepts clearance packets by mail or personal drop-off at Phoenix Police Public Records, 100 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85003, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., excluding holidays. It no longer takes clearance appointments; the requester must make the drop-off and will be contacted after processing. No fixed clearance completion period is published there. Keep the submission date and tell staff about a real deadline.

The city announced general public-record fee changes effective November 1, 2026. That notice is not a replacement clearance price list: it addresses documents and media. Use the clearance-specific figures above for this product and recheck them before ordering after that date. The current records-page contact block uses Washington Street; an older Grant Street reference appears in its discontinued-fingerprinting notice.

For a police job, follow the applicant investigation

Phoenix Human Resources describes background checks for most city jobs through a contracted vendor, with additional procedures for police and fire positions. Phoenix Police follows Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board guidelines. A self-purchased local clearance letter does not replace those applicant checks. Follow the recruiter’s instructions about forms, disclosures, fingerprints and timing; do not order a clearance simply because a job notice uses the words “background check.”

The city describes a disclosure form sent with a conditional offer and asks candidates about convictions and relevant traffic violations. Its general seven-year criminal-record lookback is qualified by position requirements, so do not turn that general statement into a promise about the police hiring investigation. Ask the hiring contact which process applies to the actual position.

Use Oregon’s records form for an Oregon check

Phoenix, Oregon’s July 2025 request form identifies a local police records check or name search, with a published $10 charge and an exception for United States Military or United States Protected Services. That dated form could not be freshly retrieved in this review; confirm the currently payable fee and any eligibility proof with Oregon Records at 541-535-1113 before ordering. The published March 2025 council packet also lists that $10 item.

The Oregon police request form asks for the requester’s contact information, names involved, incident or case reference where applicable, and the record and delivery method desired. Its printed contact is Phoenix Police Department, 114 W. 2nd Street, P.O. Box 330, Phoenix, OR 97535. State that you want a local name check rather than an incident report. Request an estimate if research is needed, and confirm current submission and turnaround instructions. Oregon disclosure exemptions may limit what is released.

Review the issuer and scope before passing on a result

Check the returned name, issuing department and search scope. If the letter identifies an event you do not recognize or omits an expected local entry, take the letter and your reference back to the issuing records unit for clarification. If the recipient needs a certified court disposition or broader state or federal check, obtain that specific product separately. Keep the Arizona and Oregon responses distinct; neither department’s procedure establishes the other’s fees, authorization rules or coverage.