Missouri State Highway Patrol

Patrol Records Division - History

The Patrol Records Division serves as a data repository of statewide motor vehicle accident reports, convictions of alcohol and drug-related traffic offenses, dispositions on Missouri State Highway Patrol traffic arrests, and assignment of unique numbers for inclusion on the Uniform Citation (UC). The division also maintains Missouri's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Additionally, the Patrol Records Division houses the Patrol's Custodian of Records, who is responsible for the dissemination of records outside the agency within the guidelines set forth by the Missouri Sunshine Law.

Motor vehicle traffic crash information is obtained by law enforcement agencies across the state, authorized to investigate traffic crashes, submitting crash information via the Missouri Uniform Accident Report. Once the crash reports are reviewed, data from reports meeting specific criteria are encoded into the Statewide Traffic Accident Records System (STARS). The availability of statistical information concerning motor vehicle crashes, information about a specific crash, and actual copies of crash reports is contingent upon the finalized Missouri Uniform Accident Report reaching the Patrol Records Division and entered into STARS.