Phoenix Municipality, Arizona Criminal Records
Phoenix City is located in Maricopa County and is both the county seat and state capital, with a population of about 1.69 million in 2025. The city’s law enforcement agencies generate and maintain criminal records through the courts and the police department. Phoenix criminal records refer to official documentation from the Phoenix City Police Department and the Phoenix Municipal Court. Criminal records contain a full history of crimes and convictions, which also spans arrests and incarcerations over a period.
Some of these records include incident or offense reports, charge sheets, criminal summons, citations, search or arrest warrants, and criminal case documents. The police department is mainly responsible for maintaining order by enforcing arrests where necessary and processing offenders through the city/county jail and the courts. T
The Phoenix Municipal Court is a limited-jurisdiction court, with its criminal jurisdiction limited to misdemeanors. This court handles offenses that carry no more than 6 months jail time and a $2,500 fine, which are committed within city borders. It also handles cases involving orders of protection, civil traffic violations, and injunctions against harassment. The municipal court does not handle felony cases, as this is within the jurisdiction of the Maricopa County Superior Court, which is the county's trial court of general jurisdiction. Members of the public who can access the criminal records that have convictions can use them as proof of guilt, while criminal records like arrest information cannot.
What are Phoenix Public Records?
Phoenix public records are simply official files created and maintained by government agencies. According to the Arizona Public Records Law (Arizona Revised Statutes §§ 39-121), any record with a substantial connection to government business is open to the public for making copies and viewing. This definition applies to the law enforcement agencies in Phoenix County and the documents and files they generate while carrying out their duties.
For example, arrests and temporary detention by the Phoenix Police Department create public records that can be inspected at the department or online. The municipal court creates criminal case records from the moment charges are filed against an arrestee until the case is closed. Other examples of public records in Phoenix County include council meeting minutes, planning & development building permits, city ordinances & resolutions, property deeds, land records, and vital statistics. There are also confidential or sensitive records that are not publicly accessible. These records, like juvenile records, personal identifier details, and any record sealed under the Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-911.
Members of the public can access more information about the scope of publicly accessible and restricted records through the Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide Office.
Phoenix Crime Statistics
The Phoenix Police Department posts its Uniform Crime Reporting data on its website every month, with the most recent data for 2025 showing a reduction in almost all categories. Violent crimes reduced by 13.1% from 13,303 in 2024 to 11,560 in 2025. Robberies reduced by 11% from 3,020 in 2024 to 2,378 in 2025, while homicides declined by 11% from 146 in 2024 to 130 in 2025. Property crimes reduced by 13.7% from 38,892 in 2024 to 33,554 in 2025, while the core index offenses, described as Part 1 crimes, reduced by 13.6% from 52,195 in 2024 to 45,114 in 2025. Here is a table with a breakdown of these figures:
| Offense | 2024 Count | 2025 Count | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Homicide | 146 | 130 | -11.0% |
| Robbery | 3,020 | 2,378 | -21.3% |
| Burglary | 5,274 | 4,402 | -16.5% |
| Total Violent Crimes | 13,303 | 11,560 | -13.1% |
| Total Property Crimes | 38,892 | 33,554 | -13.7% |
| Total Part 1 Crimes | 52,195 | 45,114 | -13.6% |
Are Phoenix Criminal Records Public?
Yes, Phoenix City criminal records are mostly public records. Arizona law presumes that police and court records are open to the public regardless of residency or connection to the case. These records are available through different offices, with the main sources being the Phoenix Police Department and the Phoenix Municipal Court.
Members of the public can submit records requests to these agencies, which will be used to search for and retrieve the records of interest. Requests can be submitted in person, online, or made over the phone by calling 602-262-6151 or 602-26207626. Members of the public can make simple requests for free over the phone or at the police department. To access criminal records, requesters must provide some details to point to the desired documents. This can be names, case number, booking number, physical description, or booking date.
While most criminal records are generally public, there are closed or restricted criminal records. Some of the restricted criminal records in Phoenix include:
- Juvenile cases
- Confidential law enforcement investigatory records from open cases
- Protected personal identifiers
- Sealed case records according to Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-911
- An individual’s complete criminal history file in the Department of Public Safety’s central repository, which is only available to an authorized requester or the record registrant.
How to Obtain Phoenix Police Reports and Arrest Records
The Phoenix Police Department is primarily responsible for executing arrests, and they keep records of arrest incidents and jail logs. Members of the public can obtain Phoenix police reports and arrest records by submitting requests online, in person, or by mail. These requests will contain some details about the arrest case or incident report, which will aid a search. Phoenix police reports are exclusively available through the police department, while arrest records can also be accessed through the Municipal Court or Maricopa County Superior Court.
Requesters can make simple arrest inquiries in person or over the phone by calling 602-534-1127 for the police department. While simple inquiries are free, requests that involve reproducing copies will attract a per-copy cost of $0.24 for black and white copies and $0.27 for color copies.
A CD or DVD of records costs $5 plus $0.21 per page if scanning is required, and electronic copies of an existing digital file can be sent via email for free. The law requires a reasonable time for resolving records requests, which can be days depending on the complexity of the request. The police department maintains a Police Public Records and Services Bureau website that can be used to submit requests online. City court records containing arrest information can be accessed through the city’s Court Copies and the Audio Record of Proceedings website for misdemeanor cases or the county’s eAccess website for felony cases.
How to Find Sex Offender Information in Phoenix
Sex offenders in Phoenix are required to register with the Arizona Department of Public Safety through the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office according to Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3821. Arizona sorts registered sex offenders into three risk tiers, with only Level 2 (intermediate risk) and Level 3 (high risk) offenders appearing on the state’s registry. Level 1 risk offenders are subject to only in-home notification and do not appear online.
Requesters can view entries in the registry at the DPS office or use the Sex Offender Compliance website to conduct an offender search, which can be done by name or area. An alternative is the U.S. Department of Justice's National Sex Offender Public Website, which provides nationwide coverage.
What Happens if My Request for Criminal Records is Denied in Phoenix?
The solution to a denied records request in Phoenix City is to appeal through the courts according to Arizona Revised Statutes § 39-121.02. If you are refused access to a public record, you can file a special action in Maricopa County Superior Court against the department involved.
Request an explanation from the agency, which must be in writing with a stated reason and the legal basis for the denial, which can be confidentiality, a sealed record, or it is tied to an open investigation. The court will review the denial, and if you win the case, you can recover attorney fees and costs under the same statute. An appeal cannot open a record sealed by the court to an individual who does not meet the requirements for access.
How to Expunge or Seal Phoenix Criminal Records
Arizona law allows the sealing of records like arrests, charges, and convictions according to Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-911. Sealing of records hides them from public view and access while maintaining them in an archive, and they can resurface in certain situations, such as a later criminal sentencing or impeachment trial. Full expungement in Arizona only applies to certain marijuana offenses committed before recreational use became legal.
Petitions for sealing can be filed in the court that handled the case, which is usually the Phoenix Municipal Court for misdemeanor offenses or the Maricopa County Superior Court for felony cases, and each conviction will require its own petition. Some of the conditions required to qualify for expungement in Phoenix are that there was no conviction, the offense is eligible for sealing, all fines and sentence is completed, and the waiting period has passed which is 10 years for class 2 or 3 felony, 5 years for a class 4,5, or 6 felony, 3 years for a class 1 misdemeanor, and 2 years for a class 2 or 4 misdemeanor all counted from the completion of the sentence.