Information for Employers and Licensing Agencies

Many employers and licensing agencies have a statutory requirement to conduct background checks on potential employees or licensees. The Department of Public Safety, Criminal Records and Identification (R&I) Bureau assigns 'client numbers' to agencies or businesses that routinely request background checks.  When an employer or licensing agency includes their client number on fingerprint, or name based background check requests, it helps insure the proper dissemination of criminal history record information to our customers.

To establish a 'Client Number' with R&I, we require a letter on your organization's stationery that includes:

• The name and nature of your business
• Your physical and mailing address
• The purpose of your request to receive criminal justice information
• A contact name and telephone number for your organization, and
• The state or federal statute authorizing you to receive the requested information.  (Note:  If the statutory authority is other than AS 12.62.160, you must submit the citation and full text of the state or federal statute authorizing you to receive the requested criminal justice information.

Submit your request to:

Criminal Records & Identification Bureau
Department of Public Safety
5700 E. Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99507

Or fax it to: 907-269-5091

Once your request is approved, we will assign a client number to your agency and provide you further instructions for obtaining the requested information.

Approval by the Attorney General of the United States is required to obtain national (FBI) criminal history record background checks.  The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau maintains a list of Alaska statutes previously approved for this purpose by the Attorney General.  National Criminal History Record information may be released only to government agencies.  If you require a national criminal history record check and are not a government agency, you must either:

• Provide us with the name and contact number (and client number) of the government agency that has agreed to receive and review national criminal history record check results, or
• Provide us with a specific list of disqualifying criteria for the position you are seeking to fill. The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau will review the record results and will let you know if a given record subject’s record contains disqualifying information.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs has published a guideline dated April 1998 to assist agencies in the screening of applicants to positions of authority over children or dependent adults: "Guidelines For The Screening Of Persons Working With Children, The Elderly, And Individuals With Disabilities In Need Of Support" (Adobe PDF)

If you have any questions, please Contact the Criminal Records and Identification Bureau