Arizona’s Department of Public Safety requires certain individuals to obtain a fingerprint clearance card. This official document is intended to verify their suitability for certain professions and activities.
Getting this clearance card involves passing a thorough background check that includes fingerprinting to ensure you meet the standards set for your profession. This card is an extra measure of safety that is intended to prevent those with a criminal history from working with vulnerable groups of people or in sensitive sectors.
Vulnerable groups of people include children, the elderly, and the disabled. To work with these groups, you will need a fingerprint clearance card before you can be extended the offer of employment. Your clearance card must be kept in good standing, but if you are found guilty of certain types of misdemeanor or felony crimes, you may lose this clearance.
Who Needs an Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card for Employment?
Employers in sensitive professions use fingerprint clearance cards to check the background of a potential employee. This protects their liability and reduces the likelihood of an unfortunate incident. The cards are valid for up to six years unless something changes with the person’s criminal history.
The state provides standard and level 1 fingerprint clearance cards, which will depend on the profession. People who need a standard card include teachers, school superintendents, tutors, school bus drivers, dentists, dental hygienists, real estate agents, nursing home administrators, anyone who works or volunteers in an assisted living facility, and children’s behavioral health program workers.
Level 1 fingerprint clearance card professions include daycare centers and all their personnel and volunteers, foster home licensees, childcare providers, all employees of the Department of Child Safety, anyone working in homeless or domestic violence shelters, state hospital employees, and all employees of the state’s Game and Fish Department.
What Can Prohibit You from Qualifying for a Fingerprint Clearance Card?
The intent of fingerprint clearance cards is to help employers verify that someone they plan to hire does not have a dangerous criminal history. If you are facing charges for certain crimes and you have a clearance card, it will likely be suspended.
Arizona statutes list over 80 different types of crimes in which a person could lose their fingerprint clearance card while awaiting trial or once convicted. These cover misdemeanor and felony charges, such as first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, child abuse, sexual assault, drug possession, shoplifting, and arson, and many more.
Is Getting a Fingerprint Clearance Card a Lost Cause with a Prior Conviction?
In certain situations, you may still be able to obtain an Arizona fingerprint clearance card even if you’ve previously been convicted of a crime. You may file a good cause exception.
Once you file a good cause exception, the Department of Public Safety for the state will check your criminal history and background. Your acceptance will depend on the crimes that are listed in your background, but you may have a chance for eligibility with this exception.
You’ll need to keep in mind that it is up to the state to grant you this good cause exception. This will depend on which type of fingerprint clearance card you’re seeking – standard or level 1 – along with the type of crime you committed.
Remember, the burden is on you as the applicant to show why you deserve this clearance. Reputable defense attorneys can assist you with completing the application and gathering letters of reference, requirement completion, and other relevant reports. They can also help if your charges have been dismissed but you are still not receiving the clearance you deserve.
