This article also appears in the May 2, 2025, edition of The Kansas City Call.

An outstanding warrant can limit your job or housing prospects if it shows up in a background check. It can also increase stress and anxiety levels.

“Some people have been sitting on that sort of anxiety for years,” says District Defender Ruth Petsch, who adds that most outstanding warrants are for traffic tickets or missed court dates.

Now there’s a solution called Tap In Center: Kansas City.

Since 2023, the Kansas City Public Library has hosted a free monthly Tap In Center where patrons can get legal assistance, connect with local support services, and clear their warrants.

“It’s an expensive burden that most people can’t handle. It’s usually $300 a case,” Petsch says.

The events take place on the second Wednesday of each month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lucile H. Bluford Branch at 3050 Prospect Avenue. A similar program at the St. Louis County Library provided a model.

“The importance of doing it at the library is because we are meeting people where they are in a trusted space,” says the Library’s community specialists manager Jeni Starr. “People are coming in who have warrants. And they have to trust that when they come in, they're going to get the service that they were promised and nothing else.”

Petsch, who launched the Tap In Center program in Kansas City, describes a warrant as a “roadblock” holding people back “from really being a vital part of the community.”

The first step for participants visiting the Tap In Center at the Bluford Branch is filling out paperwork. A volunteer attorney researches the status of the case (or cases) and related court date information on websites and databases, then tries to get the warrants withdrawn.

About 30 people typically attend each event, but sometimes they see as many as 100.

"Some people have one warrant. Most people have two," Petsch says. "But we also have people with … like close to 50."

In 2024, the Tap In Center cleared between 2,000 to 3,000 warrants.

"When we’re meeting with clients, we get a lot of relief," she says. “We get a lot of gratitude."

To offset costs, the program involves a lot of volunteer partners, including the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Kansas City Municipal Court, the Kansas City Public Defender’s Office, the Kansas City Public Library, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and its Clear My Record project.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the partners that we have," says Starr. "Everyone is really dedicated because they really care about this project."

The program is free but may involve related court fees. Petsch notes that the city’s Municipal Court also offers amnesty days to help people cancel their warrants and pay off past due fines at a discount.

Individuals can show up in person at the Kansas City Public Library or contact the Tap In Center team at KCTapIn@gmail.com or 816.343.4899.