New Improvements to ChoicePoint Service

Using the ChoicePoint Background Check System
• Credit cards are now only being verified or “pinged” once during every batch instead of each search (Credit cards will only be necessary after 80 searches).
• ChoicePoint and the official “Little League Volunteer Application” no longer require a social security number unless mandated by the local league.
• ChoicePoint provides a toll-free number for after hours as well as extended hours during the Little League prime season. Photo Identification is now available for record matches on Sex Offender Registry

Registration Process
• It is no longer necessary to enter a credit card number until after the first 80 background checks are completed which are paid for by Little League International. However, we do recommend entering a credit card number during the initial registration process if you plan to do more than 80 searches which will eliminate a needless disruption to your search process when you reach 81 searches.
• The registration process has been streamlined with the e-mail submission and has eliminated the need to fax a second page registration form to Choicepoint.
• The new registration process allows users the ability to complete the form by e-mail using an “e-signature” through ChoicePoint.
• Users will be able to change account information via email or by fax.
• A new “Frequently Asked Questions” section has been added to the ChoicePoint website to assist local leagues in the registration process.
• ChoicePoint is providing a new credentialing team specifically for non-profit organizations which includes Little League.
• District Administrators will receive 80 free checks as well as all chartered local leagues
• Users will have the ability to search the ChoicePoint website using their Little League ID number to verify existing accounts.

After using ChoicePoint Background Check System
• Those volunteers whose background check shows a record will no longer receive a letter that contains a copy of the records. The volunteers will receive a letter that contains a toll free number they can call to receive a copy of the records if they choose. Also, planning is underway to permit volunteers the option to review their background checks online in February 2008.

Future Enhancements
• You will not have to enter a credit card until after the first 80 background checks which are paid for by Little League International are completed (December 17, 2007).

Before You Begin
Before beginning the background process, which must be completed annually on all new and returning individuals prior to the individual assuming his/her duties for the current season you need to understand who needs to be checked and how the background check should be completed. It should be noted that all those individuals that meet the requirement of regulation I(c) 8 need to be checked and is not limited to just coaches.

Some questions to ask before you begin: (1) Are we doing all of the background checks that are required? It does not matter who was checked last year – background checks must be performed on an annual basis. (2) How many managers/coaches do we have per team - 2 or 3? (3)How many additional people are helping at practices as “practice coaches”? (4)How many umpires are being checked? (5)How many board members? (6)How many parent(s) are assisting teams in various capacities? (7) Do we have other positions in the league like equipment manager, field maintenance, scorekeeper, and/or announcer? (8)Once you answer these questions you should come up with 5 to 6 people per team as an average number of people per league that require background checks.

Did you know that a check of a local police department or state agencies does not meet the minimum requirement since it is not a national check? Did you know that the social security number requirement is mandatory at the discretion of the league and is not mandatory to use Choicepoint?

We suggest you review the Q&A’s at childprotect/Q&AChildProtection.pdf

To begin conducting background checks, the league needs in its possession a fully completed official “Little League Volunteer Application” along with a copy of a government-issued photo ID, usually a driver’s license, in order for the league to verify that the information on his/her volunteer application is correct, i.e. spelling of name, address, date of birth, etc. A sample of the official “Little League Volunteer Application” can be found at: forms/volunteerapp_08.pdf

Effective in 2007, the local league must conduct a nationwide search that contains the applicable government sex offender registry data. In order to assist local leagues and District Administrators, Little League International has teamed up with ChoicePoint to provide each chartered U.S. league and district with 80 free searches. Also, any additional searches above 80 that may be necessary for each league and district will be available at a reduced cost of only $1 per search. A check conducted only in one state no longer meets the minimum requirements of the regulations.

Information contained on a search through ChoicePoint provides a more thorough background check because it includes crimes such as drug-related, assault, robbery, murder, theft, driving violations, etc. which are not found on a national sex offender search, which is the minimum requirement. Details can be found at littleleague.choicepoint.com. Just click on the “Data Matrix” section to review the records nationwide, broken down by state, which will be processed instantly when utilizing this internet based system any hour of the day.


Recommended Background Check Website Above Minimum With 80 Free Searches Provided To Leagues And Districts By Little League International
The search conducted on ChoicePoint at littleleague.choicepoint.com limits the name-only search to 10 state sex offender registries while providing a far more thorough check that includes criminal records not found on an SOR, as well as utilizing the birth dates and Social Security Numbers entered which screens additional databases.

Little League International has contracted with ChoicePoint to provide local leagues and districts with a special Internet site that allows members to search a criminal records database of more than 200 million criminal records - instantly. This site provides searches of available criminal records from various repository sources and state-level sex offender registries across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The fee for the first 80 searches per chartered league and district is free to the local league and district as the cost for these searches is being provided by Little League International. Any additional searches above 80 will cost the league and district a reduced fee of only $1 per individual search. Though Little League International requires members to search a minimum of the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Registry, this special Internet site includes a state-level sex offender search for all 50 states and may uncover violent criminals who could pose potential danger to players and associates. Therefore, Little League International encourages the use of this service offered by ChoicePoint.

When positive results are returned in the states with name-only searches (Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin), you are required to perform more research to determine whether the results belong to your candidate. To do this, please visit the individual state sites which are available through a link listed below and search for your candidate to retrieve more demographic information. This additional information will help you exclude records that do not belong to your candidate.

Minimum Background Check Website
To meet the minimum standard, you can access the free site of the U.S. Department of Justice at www.nsopr.gov. But keep in mind that searches done on the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Registry do not use a birth date or Social Security Number as one of its search criteria, so any person with the same first and last name who is on the 50 states’ individual state sex offender registry will show up in your search. The search done on ChoicePoint limits the name-only search to sex offender registries in 10 states, while providing a far more thorough check that includes criminal records not found on a SOR, and utilizes the birth date and Social Security Number (when provided) to screen in additional databases. When positive results are returned in these states with name-only searches through the sex offender registry search, you are required to perform more research to determine whether the results belong to your candidate. To do this, utilize the photos provided on the name only sex offender records through Choicepoint and more demographic information available on the individual state sites that are available through a link from the Little League website below. This additional information will help you exclude records that do not belong to your candidate.

Local League Background Checks by State no longer meet the minimum requirements, but state SOR sites may be used as a tool to verify data on duplicate name only searches, to exclude records that do not belong to your candidate

Select your state from the list below:

Other U.S. Areas:

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands

Printable List of all the state resources