Missouri Background Check

How To Get a Missouri Background Check Report

The State Highway Patrol's Criminal Justice Information Services Division is the entity in charge of compiling and disseminating background checks for the state. They offer two methods for obtaining one, a name-based search using their online web portal called MACHS and a fingerprint-based search. The uses IDEMIA as their vendor for all fingerprints and users must contact them directly to be fingerprinted. The cost for a name-based search (state only) is $14, and a fingerprint-based FBI search costs $13.25.
Additionally, there is a $20 fingerprinting fee. Fingerprint requests will take 4-6 weeks to process. Notarized copies cost an extra $2. 
Along with the option of using the online portal, individuals can also get background checks in person during regular business hours at their office in Jefferson City. 

What Does a Background Check Show?

Depending on the type of report requested, the information will vary. For a name-based search using the MACHS portal the report will include only open records:
“(1) records containing convictions, such as plead guilty to, or convicted of,
 (2) arrest information that is less than 30 days old from the date of arrest, 
(3) prosecutor filed charges awaiting final disposition from the court, and 
(4) records that contain a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) during the probation period.”
Fingerprint-based reports will include closed records:  all criminal history data, including all arrests (filed or not filed charges),  charges that have been nobly processed, dismissed, or found not guilty in a court of law, and will include any SIS after the probation period is complete.”

Some requests have to be processed via fingerprints such as for adoption or foster care and gun permits.

Purpose and Reasons

There are many purposes to get a Missouri background check. The most popular is employment. The state legally mandates that some types of industries use background checks before hiring or providing licensing or certification. Things like foster care, adoption, insurance, and gun permits are some examples.
The public also has access to other third-party background checks that contain a lot of information culled from private and public records sources. These can be used for things like looking up someone’s address, finding a long-lost relative, checking out a potential date or business partner or even your own information. They will contain the following:

• Criminal Records
• Arrests and Warrants
• Bankruptcy Filings          
• Legal Judgments

• Liens 

• Birth Records

• Marriages and Divorces 

• Property Records

• Auto, Vessel, Aircraft Ownership

• Current and Past Addresses

• Phone and Email Address

• Professional Licenses

• Relatives and Associates

• Social Media Accounts and More

MO Criminal Background Checks

The state provides public access to criminal background checks to anyone who requests the information. They offer both name and fingerprint-based searches, each containing different information. Their system is fee-based, and individuals can get state-level copies or federal convictions and also get a copy of their own records if they wish. 

Gun Background Check

The state does not have any laws requiring a state-level background check before purchasing a gun in the state. MO is not a point of contact for licensed gun dealers. Therefore they must follow federal law and contact the FBI and use NICS for a mandated background check before selling any firearms to buyers. Private sales are not regulated, and they do not require a background check either. For 2018, the state processed 632,319 total background check in the state. Two hundred seventy-four thousand seven hundred fifty-four of them were for handguns, 202,708 were for long guns, and 90,972 were for permits. 

Gun Checks & Gun-Related Death Rate

On average 496,184 gun checks annually are being conducted through NICS in California.

State Firearms Background Checks Initiated Through the NICS

Background Check Laws

According to Nolo.com in MO“No one may be denied a license for a profession or occupation primarily on the basis that a prior conviction negates that person's good moral character, if the applicant has been released from incarceration by pardon, parole, or otherwise, or the applicant is on probation with no evidence of violations. The conviction may be considered, but the licensing board must also consider the crime's relation to the license, the date of conviction, the applicant's conduct since the conviction, and other evidence of the applicant's character in making a decision.”

Employment Protection

Even though MO does not govern how employers can use background checks during the hiring process, they do restrict the use of criminal records for discrimination when licensing or providing permits to applicants. Employers are free to use background checks however they see fit during the application and interview process. However, all state employers must comply with federal discrimination law: The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when using background checks to determine eligibility when hiring.

Public Background Check Reports Usage

According to The Fair Credit Reporting Act, when using sites like InfoTracer to obtain a background check report, the information cannot legally be used to determine credit, employment, tenant screening or any other eligibility requirements for business or professional use. 

Online Romance Scam Statistics

In 2017, there have been 281 victims of online romance scams in Missouri, resulting in $3.9 million adjusted losses associated with these complaints.

Victims by Age Group