What Is Rap Back?
The Missouri Rap Back program provides updated Missouri and national fingerprint-based criminal arrest information for individuals licensed, employed with, or otherwise under the purview of an authorized agency. The voluntary program enables enrolled agencies to receive up-to-date criminal history information when an individual is fingerprinted for a criminal offense. Notification occurs automatically for agencies enrolled in the Rap Back program after the process of arrest has been completed.
How It Works
An authorized agency enrolls in the Rap Back program(s). Once enrolled, the authorized agency's current licensed personnel, employees, and future applicants will be fingerprinted. These fingerprints are retained and routinely matched against fingerprints submitted for criminal offenses.
A Rap Back notification is initiated once a retained set of criminal fingerprints matches against fingerprints belonging to an individual subscribed in Rap Back. This notification is sent to the agency, and further information concerning the alert may be requested at that time.
Process Steps
1. Fingerprinting: Individual is fingerprinted for a criminal offense.
2. Matching: Criminal fingerprints are matched against applicant fingerprints in Rap Back.
3. Notification Generated: Rap Back Activity Notification is generated.
4. Agency Notified: Notification is sent to the appropriate agency or organization.
Notifications and Charges
Rap Back sends notification for a variety of criminal charges and offenses. For example, notifications are made for all felony offenses, class A misdemeanors, all driving while intoxicated (drug/alcohol), any offense that can be enhanced to a class A misdemeanor or higher for subsequent violations. The notification remains active until the individual is unenrolled from Rap Back by the agency. Participating agencies are required to validate Rap Back subscriptions every three years.
Why Rap Back?
Prior to the program's enactment, a background check was conducted only once, occurring at the time of employment. Thus, criminal offenses occurring after licensure/employment began could remain unknown to an organization or agency. This gap in information between a licensee's/employee's criminal behavior and an employer's knowledge of it could potentially place vulnerable individuals at risk.
The Rap Back program was developed in response to concerns from state and federal agencies regarding the one-time criminal history response for background checks on individuals in positions of trust. The program bridges the gap between current risk and potential risk by providing ongoing propriety checks of those who are entrusted to serve Missouri's most vulnerable populations.
Entities Eligible for Rap Back
• Health care agencies
• Public and private school personnel
• Bus drivers
• Day care and elder care providers
• Volunteers
• Licensees
• State agencies
• Law enforcement agencies
Statutory Authority
Participation in the Rap Back programs requires statutory authority. The statute must include the submission of the applicant's fingerprints to the state and the FBI. Section 43.540 RSMo defines the Missouri Rap Back program and affords the Patrol the authority to provide automatic notification to a qualified agency in the event an applicant is arrested for a reported criminal offense in Missouri.
History
• In Missouri, the state Rap Back program has been available since July 2016, initially limited to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and public schools.
• On the national level, Rap Back services became operational in 2014 with Next Generation Identification (NGI).
• On August 28, 2018, Section 43.540 RSMo allowed Missouri to offer both state and national Rap Back to all authorized agencies.
• With the passage of HB 1350, Missouri became the third participating state in the national Rap Back program through the NGI system.
Contact Information
Missouri State Highway Patrol
1510 East Elm Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573) 751-3313
Website: www.statepatrol.dps.mo.gov
An Internationally Accredited Agency