Criminal Justice Services Bureau

The Criminal Justice Services Bureau is responsible for the ongoing management of the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System (ACJIS), Arizona Biometric Information System (ABIS), and the Central State Repository (CSR). The bureau provides operator/user agency training and conducts compliance monitoring of access to criminal justice information. The bureau also maintains the statewide criminal records repository, biometrics system, the issuance of concealed weapon permits, and compiles data for the state's crime statistics. The bureau comprises three areas: the Biometrics Technology Section, the Central State Repository Section, and the Compliance and Permit Section.

Biometrics Technology Section

The Biometrics Technology Section is responsible for managing the Arizona Biometric Information System (ABIS), a computer system that electronically searches and stores the images of fingerprints, palm prints, irises, mug photos, and tattoo images obtained from arrests, deceased subjects, registered sex offenders, Arizona Department of Corrections inmates, and individuals seeking noncriminal justice background checks, as required by state statute. The system became active in 1995 and has undergone several technology upgrades, the most recent being the implementation of a cloud-based ABIS which took place in 2022. The ABIS is comprised of a Central Site located at the Department’s Headquarters in Phoenix, 2 Full Access System Terminal (FAST) sites, 12 Remote Terminal (RT) sites located at various law enforcement agencies across Arizona, and 250 Livescan capture devices that are capable of submitting fingerprints to the ABIS. The system currently maintains a repository of various biometric records for fingerprint and latent print identifications, and facial recognition, including 7.8 million fingerprint records, 2.3 million palm print records, 51,000 iris records, 12.9 million mug photo images, 6.4 million Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) photos, 5,180 Missing and Exploited Children records, 350,000 tattoo images, and 100,000 latent print records. The ABIS system also interfaces with the Arizona Computerized Criminal History (ACCH) database. The section oversees the Biometrics Identification Unit.

Click here for additional information on ABIS.

Biometrics Identification Unit

The Biometrics Identification Unit falls under the Biometrics Technology Section and is responsible for processing fingerprint records submitted by AZDPS Troopers and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state, Medical Examiners, the Arizona Department of Corrections, and various civil applicant entities that require fingerprint-based background checks for criminal and noncriminal justice purposes. The unit operates 24 hours each day, 7 days a week including weekends and holidays processing all fingerprint records in Arizona that are not handled by one of the FAST or RT ABIS sites.

Central State Repository Section

The Central State Repository Section is responsible for the effective operation of the Central State Repository (CSR) to collect, store, and disseminate complete and accurate Arizona criminal history records and criminal justice information. The section provides informational services that, in many ways, are the underpinning for critical decision-making throughout the criminal justice system. Repository information has a direct bearing on the administration of criminal justice, public safety, and homeland security which greatly influences who works with children and individuals in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and persons with disabilities. Despite the far-reaching importance of repository information and how it is collected, processed, maintained, disseminated, and shared with other state and national repositories and exchange partners, it is largely governed by federal and state statutes, policies, procedures, practices, and technologies. The section oversees two units: the Central State Repository Unit and the Review and Challenge Unit.

Central State Repository Unit

The Central State Repository Unit operates 24 hours each day, 7 days a week including weekends and holidays days a week including weekends and holidays maintaining over 3 million active criminal history records; 70,000 active warrants for the Department; and responding to over 2.7 million requests for criminal history record information annually.

Review and Challenge Unit

Click here for more information on the Review and Challenge Unit.

Compliance and Permit Section

The Compliance and Permit Section is responsible for system access and quality control of the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System (ACJIS)/National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the state's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, and the issuance of permits to carry a concealed weapon. The section oversees two units; the Access Integrity Unit and the Concealed Weapons Permit Unit.

Access Integrity Unit

The Access Integrity Unit is responsible for conducting periodic operational audits of the central state repository and other agencies that contribute records to or receive criminal justice information and provides the necessary training and proficiency testing on the use of criminal justice information systems. The unit collects crime statistics in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Reporting Program and manages the state's Noncriminal Justice Compliance Program; a program designed for noncriminal justice agencies who are statutorily authorized to receive criminal history record information to make suitability determinations for employment purposes.

Click here for additional information on the Arizona Uniform Crime Program.

Concealed Weapons Permit Unit

The Concealed Weapons Permit Unit is responsible for processing and issuing Arizona concealed carry permits in accordance with A.R.S. § 13-3112. Additionally, the unit manages the state's Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) permits, and coordinates with other states regarding permit reciprocity.

Click here for more information on the Concealed Weapons Permit Unit.