Needed Criminal Documents for an Arizona Good Cause Exception?

Good Cause Exception Application

What type of criminal documentation do you need to attach to your good cause exception application to get your good cause exception? 

Whenever you apply for your clearance card, the Board of Fingerprinting will flag any arrest and substantiated claims with Child Protective Services or Adult Protective Services. So you’ll receive a denial letter for your clearance card. On that list within the letter, you would have to apply for a good cause exception, and you would have to supply documentation for those offenses. 

If you know that there are additional criminal arrests or charges not listed on the denial letter, you have an affirmative duty to disclose that. That’s important.

Documents for Clearance Card Application

Official Police Report

Once you have that list of offenses in your criminal history (like a DUI or domestic violence), let’s discuss what documents you need to attach to get that good cause exception. If any have happened within five years of your application, you must connect the official police reports. It is essential, and it has to be the official police report. You must attach the complete information along with your good cause exception. 

Now, if these arrests, offenses, or convictions happened more than five years before your application, you don’t have to worry about the police reports. However, you need all official court documents. They must be authorized and have the court’s seal. We often run into issues with clients when they supply unofficial documents. They might be old ones that they have lying around.

Court-Sealed Official Documents

So, you must request from the court with the seal the official documents of what you were charged with. Were you convicted, or were the charges dropped? Also, what were you sentenced to? Did you fulfill that sentence? Or did you meet your probation requirements if the court sentenced you to probation? Have you paid all your fines and fees? 

These are essential things that the board will look at to ensure that there is nothing out there pending, that you’re not awaiting trial, or that charges could later be filed. To get your good cause exception, you have to supply those documents.

I also mentioned that if there are any substantiated claims of child abuse or adult abuse with those agencies, you also need to supply documents from that agency, and you can request them through the agency.

Purging Documents

One of the biggest things that happen when applications get flagged to go to a hearing is when the board needs a clearer picture of the disposition of the case. So, it is vital that you show every stage of your case and that nothing is out there pending. Sometimes we have clients who still need to pay fines that are still pending. The board would consider that. You want to ensure that it has been taken care of, even if it’s a fine from a long time ago.

Another issue that sometimes arises is if your criminal history is 10 or 20 years old. Sometimes the courts call it purging documents. So, there needs to be documentation from that time with those courts. What do you do then? You need to get an official letter from the court stating that they purged those records they did have at one time.

Summary: Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Documents

To the best of your memory, you need to disclose what happened. Were those charges dropped? Were you convicted? And then you’ll reveal that. 

In summary, if any offenses in your criminal history happen within five years, you must admit the official police report. Suppose it’s outside of five years, no police reports are needed. But for all criminal offenses, court documents have to be authorized with the seal of every stage of your case showing that you fulfilled all of the requirements. And with any of those agencies I previously discussed—Child Protective Services or Adult Protective Services—the conclusion of their investigations or findings.

Also, if you can’t find those documents, and the court says they have purged them, you need documentation stating that and a synopsis of that criminal history to the best of your knowledge.