Look Up Maricopa County Mugshots for Free

Conduct a free Maricopa County mugshot search today to identify individuals currently in custody.

The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Arizona Public Records Law allow the public to access criminal records – like mugshots – that are helpful for personal and community safety, decision making, and even maintaining a clean personal record.

This resource discusses how to effectively get access to mugshots in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Where Can Maricopa County Mugshots Be Found at No Cost?

Criminal records like court, conviction, and arrest records – including mugshots – can be accessed by the public in Maricopa County because of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Arizona Public Records Law.^{1, 2}

These public records can be used for personal, educational, or professional use, but there are exceptions like juvenile records, expunged or sealed records, ongoing investigations, and information that could identify victims of crimes.

In Maricopa County, the primary custodian searchers can go to is the sheriff’s office, followed by the local police departments on the city level. On a state level, citizens can refer to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR).

The following sections explain how to find mugshots through the mentioned custodians.

How To View Mugshots Within Maricopa County (Free)

Mugshots are offender photos taken by the police when they are arrested. They are mostly found with arrest records, but can also be seen in jail rosters, sex offender registries, or pages about the most wanted fugitives.

In the county, the custodian that maintains the online resources to view mugshots is the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Mugshot Lookup Tool: The MCSO has a tool where you can look up mugshots.³ Keywords can be used to filter the results. The list shows details like the booking number, name, date of birth, type of crime, and booking date.

For a bigger view of the photo, searchers can select ‘More Details.’ The display comes with the individual’s personal information, including the following:

• Sex
• Hair Color
• Eye Color
• Weight
• Height
• Charge Count

Most Wanted Page: There’s also a page for the most wanted people in Maricopa County.⁴ This helps the police to find dangerous wanted individuals.

To see the wanted poster, click the person’s photo. The poster includes the following details:

• Mugshot
• Crime Committed
• Full Name
• Date of Birth (DOB)
• Suspect Description
• Reward Amount

Citizens that have any information regarding the wanted individual(s) can send an anonymous tip or contact the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 602-876-TIPS (8477).

OffenderWatch: Searchers can also find mugshots by looking up sex offenders in Maricopa County. By entering at least the offender’s name, results will display the offender’s photographs, name, offender level, and address.

By clicking the magnifying glass icon at the far right, searchers can view more details:

• Offender Status
• Physical Description
• Offenses

The sex offender database serves as a free community notification tool where citizens can register their addresses (home, school, work, etc.) if they’d like to receive email alerts when a sex offender lives, moves, or works within one mile of their registered address.

For further information that can’t be found online or for other inquiries, citizens can reach the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office at 602.876.1000 or visit them in person:

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO)
550 W Jackson
Phoenix, AZ 85003

On the other hand, mugshots in Maricopa County can also be viewed with at least a partial name through VINELink—a third-party victim notification service provider.

Furthermore, individuals interested in information other than mugshots can refer to the overview of finding arrest records in Maricopa County.

Inmate Services: Visitation, Fund Transfers, Bond Posting & More

People who are in jail can get support in different ways in Maricopa County. Friends, family, and other concerned people can provide help through the following services.

• Visitation: Inmates can have visits through video calls, offered by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) through ViaPath, a third-party service partner.
• Telephone System: Inmates can call their loved ones using the telephone system provided by the MCSO. However, this only allows outgoing inmate calls.
• Tablets:⁵ Inmates have tablets that let them make phone calls, have video visits from home, send messages, share photos, and access educational and multimedia content.
• Mail: Inmates can get mail, books, newspapers, and magazines sent to a central mailroom at the Lower Buckeye jail.
• Account Deposits: Fund transfers to inmates can be done via TouchPay kiosks, retail partners, telephone, or the internet.
• Post Bond: Payments of bonds and fines can be made at the northwest corner of the 4th Avenue Jail building, Bond & Fine Room; the address is listed below. Paying bonds can also be done through the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court’s Office, as long as the inmate is in the custody of the MCSO.⁶

4th Avenue Jail Building
Bond & Fine Room
201 South 4th Ave.
Phoenix Arizona 85003

Phone: 602.876.0322

How To Find Maricopa County Mugshots via Local Cities

Mugshots are mostly seen with records of arrests, and city police departments track these records. The most current information can usually be found on their websites or by reaching out to them directly.

The Scottsdale City Police Department doesn’t have an arrest or inmate search tool that allows viewing mugshots, but they have a page containing information about persons of interest, including the most wanted.^{7, 8} The page displays the offender’s name, what they are charged with, their date of birth, sex, height, weight, hair color, eye color, and the amount offered as a reward, along with their photos.

They also have a sex offender registry where people can view mugshots by providing at least the offender’s last name. Results also display the following offender details:

• Full Name
• Offender Level
• Address

The Tolleson City Police Department also has their own local sex offender registry that allows people to view mugshots of sex offenders.⁹

On the other hand, some cities like Goodyear and Surprise link to the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s sex offender registry that also allows citizens to look up sex offenders by city. The process is similar with the other sex offender databases mentioned.

The rest of the cities don’t have their own search tools that allow them to view photos of offenders, but they can be reached through the contact numbers listed in the retrieval process of public records in Maricopa County.

Note: Citizens interested in knowing more about other records, such as court, criminal, or marital, can also refer to the mentioned resource.

The next section contains the statewide options.

How To Access Mugshots of Prison Inmates in Arizona

Citizens can view state prison inmates’ mugshots through the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) inmate information access tool.¹⁰

This tool requires the inmate’s ADC number or name to start. The initial results also include the admission date. These police photographs may be available statewide but not at county-level resources, even if the inmate is a county resident.

In addition, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has a tool for federal inmate searches that can be done with at least a last name or assigned BOP register number to start a search. However, mugshots aren’t available.

Even though both the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Arizona Public Records Law let the public access these records, it’s important that they won’t be used in a discriminatory and harmful way.^{1, 2} Also, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have set guidelines to make sure the records are used correctly and ethically.

Conducting a Maricopa County mugshot search can be helpful in many ways, but it’s important to use this information responsibly.