Law Enforcement Information
Law Enforcement
According to Revised Missouri Statute 589.669, "state and local agencies and the courts shall accept the designated address as a program participant's address when creating a new public record." This includes all state and local law enforcement agencies.
The substitute address must be used in place of a home, work or school address on all new records created by a law enforcement agency such as:
- incident reports
- citations
- witness statements
- arrest reports
- correspondence
- any document or database entry regarding a Safe at Home participant
Once an officer is aware that someone is a Safe at Home participant, the officer cannot require the participant to disclose his or her confidential address.
Program participants are responsible for informing officers that they participate in Safe at Home and are requesting address confidentiality. Officers may request to see the participant's authorization card to verify participation. Questions regarding the use of the authorization card may be directed to the Safe at Home toll-free number (866-509-1409).
Safe at Home may release the information of a participant in one of the following exceptional circumstances:
- If a law enforcement agency has a bona fide or administrative need for a participant's information and requests the information in the manner provided for by rule, the Secretary of State may deem it appropriate to release the information. The full requirements of written requests for Safe at Home participant information can be found in the Code of State Regulations (15 CSR 30-70.090).
- Law enforcement may make a verbal request for a participant's confidential address if the officer can demonstrate that an emergency exists according to the program rules. These are rare and extreme situations that involve life or death circumstances.
- If a law enforcement officer has an emergency request outside the regular Secretary of State's business hours the officer may call the toll-free number (866-509-1409) and the recorded message will refer the officer to a phone number used for after-hours emergencies only.
- If a court order is issued to the Secretary of State's office that specifically orders the disclosure of a particular program participant's address and the reasons for the disclosure, then the Secretary of State would respond to the court order.
Examples
Law enforcement officers may encounter Safe at Home participants in a variety of roles and settings such as victim, witness, suspect, traffic citation, incident report, emergency response, or even arrest warrant. All are afforded the same address protection if the officer has verified the person is a Safe at Home participant.
Traffic Stops: Once the officer verifies the driver's participation in the Safe at Home program, the officer cannot require the participant to disclose his or her confidential address.
Incident or Crime Reports: Even though the officer may know the address because of the situation, the address cannot be recorded. A copy of the participant's Safe at Home authorization may be included in the report if needed.
Investigations: If a Safe at Home participant is interviewed as a suspect or even arrested, the only address on record must be the Safe at Home substitute address.
Accidents/Medical Emergencies: If an officer responds to a scene where a participant is unresponsive, we recommend that every effort is made to protect any information that may have been documented once the officer discovers the victim is a Safe at Home participant. If an officer needs assistance to contact a participant or a participant's family in an emergency situation, the officer may call the Safe at Home toll-free number (866-509-1409). If the request is made outside of regular business hours, the toll-free number will refer the officer to an emergency phone number.