28-454. Records maintained by department of transportation; redaction; definitions

A. Notwithstanding sections 28-447 and 28-455, an eligible person may request that persons be prohibited from accessing the eligible person's identifying information, including any of that person's documents, contained in any record maintained by the department.

B. An eligible person may request this action by filing an affidavit that states all of the following on an application form developed by the administrative office of the courts in agreement with an association of counties, an organization of peace officers and the department:

1. The person's full legal name and residential address.

2. Unless the person is the spouse of a peace officer or the spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer or the person is a former public official or former judge, the position the person currently holds and a description of the person's duties, except that an eligible person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment shall attach a copy of the order of protection or injunction against harassment.

3. The reasons the person reasonably believes that the person's life or safety or that of another person is in danger and that redacting the identifying information from the department's public records will serve to reduce the danger.

C. The affidavit shall be filed with the presiding judge of the superior court in the county in which the affiant resides. To prevent multiple filings, an eligible person who is a peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, corrections or detention officer, corrections support staff member or law enforcement support staff member shall deliver the affidavit to the peace officer's commanding officer, or to the head of the prosecuting, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, who shall file the affidavits at one time. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and that is supported by facts justifying an earlier presentation, the commanding officer, or the head of the prosecuting, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, shall not file affidavits more often than quarterly.

D. On receipt of an affidavit or affidavits, the presiding judge of the superior court shall file with the clerk of the superior court a petition on behalf of all requesting affiants. Each affidavit presented shall be attached to the petition. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and that is supported by facts justifying an earlier consideration, the presiding judge may accumulate affidavits and file a petition at the end of each quarter.

E. The presiding judge of the superior court shall review the petition and each attached affidavit to determine whether the action requested by each affiant should be granted. The presiding judge of the superior court shall order the redaction of the residence address and telephone number from the public records maintained by the department if the judge concludes that this action will reduce a danger to the life or safety of the affiant or another person.

F. On entry of the court order, the clerk of the superior court shall file the court order with the department. No more than one hundred fifty days after the date the department receives the court order, the department shall redact the identifying information of the affiants listed in the court order from the public records of the department. The identifying information shall not be disclosed and are not part of a public record.

G. If the court denies an affiant's request pursuant to this section, the affiant may request a court hearing. The hearing shall be conducted by the court in the county where the petition was filed.

H. On motion to the court, if the presiding judge of the superior court concludes that identifying information has been sealed in error or that the cause for the original affidavit no longer exists, the presiding judge may vacate the court order prohibiting public access to the identifying information.

I. Notwithstanding sections 28-447 and 28-455, the department shall not release a photograph of a peace officer if the peace officer has made a request as prescribed in this section that persons be prohibited from accessing the peace officer's identifying information in any record maintained by the department.

J. This section does not prohibit the use of a peace officer's photograph that is either:

1. Used by a law enforcement agency to assist a person who has a complaint against an officer to identify the officer.

2. Obtained from a source other than the department.

K. For the purposes of this section:

1. " Code enforcement officer" means a person who is employed by a state or local government and whose duties include performing field inspections of buildings, structures or property to ensure compliance with and enforce national, state and local laws, ordinances and codes.

2. " Corrections support staff member" means an adult or juvenile corrections employee who has direct contact with inmates.

3. " Eligible person" means a former public official, peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased public officer, justice, judge or former judge, commissioner, public defender, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, adult or juvenile corrections officer, corrections support staff member, probation officer, member of the board of executive clemency, law enforcement support staff member, employee of the department of child safety or employee of adult protective services who has direct contact with families in the course of employment, national guard member who is acting in support of a law enforcement agency, person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment or firefighter who is assigned to the Arizona counter terrorism information center in the department of public safety.

4. " Former public official" means a person who was duly elected or appointed to Congress, the legislature or a statewide office, who ceased serving in that capacity and who was the victim of a dangerous offense as defined in section 13-105 while in office.

5. " Law enforcement support staff member" means a person who serves in the role of an investigator or prosecutorial assistant in an agency that investigates or prosecutes crimes, who is integral to the investigation or prosecution of crimes and whose name or identity will be revealed in the course of public proceedings.

6. " Peace officer" :

(a) Has the same meaning prescribed in section 1-215.

(b) Includes a federal law enforcement officer or agent who resides in this state and who has the power to make arrests pursuant to federal law.

7. " Prosecutor" means a county attorney, a municipal prosecutor or the attorney general and includes an assistant or deputy county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general.