MO- Gov. Blunt Seeks Access to FBI’s Criminal History Reports To Protect Missouri Children

3-24-2008 Missouri:

JEFFERSON CITY—Gov. Matt Blunt is seeking access to the FBI’s criminal history record information under the authority of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to provide greater protection for Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens, especially children. The governor sent a letter to David Cuthbertson, Section Chief of the Programs Development Section, Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, seeking access to this database.

“By granting access to FBI criminal history record information under the Adam Walsh Law, the Missouri Department of Social Services will have access to state and national criminal history information when investigating or responding to reports of child abuse, neglect or exploitation,” Gov. Blunt wrote. “This would ensure my administration possesses as much information as possible to further protect children who are entrusted to our care.”

“In addition, we are requesting approval to process fingerprint-based civil background checks under the same authority,” Gov. Blunt continued. “By granting this request, state educational agencies as well as private elementary and secondary schools, will have added resources to make sound employment decisions. This would allow for greater protection of Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Sections 151 and 153 of the Adam Walsh Act provide access to FBI criminal history record information for governmental social service agencies with child protection responsibilities, child welfare agencies, and public and private elementary and secondary schools as well as state and local educational agencies.

Under Section 151, states are authorized to provide governmental social service agencies access to the National Crime Information Center and the Interstate Identification Index. Section 153, also called the Schools Safely Acquiring Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Act, provides that the Attorney General shall, upon the request of a state’s chief executive officer, conduct fingerprint-based checks of national crime information databases pursuant to requests submitted by child welfare agencies, by private or public elementary or secondary schools, or local or state educational agencies.

In 2007, Gov. Blunt signed legislation allowing for the dissemination of criminal history record information under the Adam Walsh Act to further protect Missouri children.

The safety of Missouri’s children is one of Gov. Blunt’s highest priorities. Gov. Blunt has been a national leader in protecting children from sexual predators. He enacted Missouri’s version of Jessica’s Law, an action that mandates a life sentence with at least 30 years served for predators who commit egregious crimes against young children. Additionally, Blunt made Missouri one of the first states in the nation to mandate lifetime GPS monitoring for sex offenders. Gov. Blunt supports new provisions to make forcible rape and forcible sodomy against a child younger than 12 a crime for which the death penalty may be sought.

Gov. Blunt also has promoted the INOBTR (I Know Better) Campaign to provide information about online predators and supports requiring registered sex offenders to provide e-mail addresses and other online identifiers to authorities. The governor instituted the Missouri Alert Network to enhance school safety and supported funding for cyber crime grants to assist law enforcement in investigating dangerous Internet crimes, especially sex crimes exploiting children. ..more.. by KSPR NEWS