Chapter 145
2009 -- S 0140
Enacted 07/16/09
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - STATE POLICE
Introduced By: Senators Perry, Miller, Goodwin, DeVall, and Gallo
Date Introduced: January 29, 2009
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 42-28-3.3 of the General Laws in Chapter
42-28 entitled "State
Police" is hereby
amended to read as follows:
42-28-3.3.
Senior citizen alert. -- (a) The
general assembly hereby finds that, in the case
of a missing senior citizen, the first few hours are
critical in finding such senior citizen, and that
the implementation of a Missing Senior Citizen Alert
program is necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.
(b) The division of
state police, in consultation with other appropriate agencies,
including without limitation, the
partnership among law enforcement agencies, media outlets and
other appropriate entities to send
out emergency alerts entitled the "Missing Senior
Citizen Alert Program."
(c) For purposes of
section 42-28-3.3 and section 42-28-3.4, a "Missing Senior Citizen"
means a person:
(i)
Whose whereabouts are unknown;
(ii) Whose domicile at
the time he or she is reported missing is
(iii) Whose age at the
time he or she is reported missing is sixty (60) years of age or
older, or is a person with a diagnosis of dementia;
(iv)
Who has an impaired mental condition; and
(v) Whose disappearance
poses a credible threat to the safety and health of such person,
as determined by the state police or other law
enforcement agency.
(d) The impaired mental
condition shall be demonstrated by the appropriate
documentation presented by the missing senior citizen's family,
legal guardian, long-term care
ombudsman, or long-term care facility where such person
resides.
(e) The missing senior
citizen alert program shall provide a pro-active emergency public
alert plan as part of the response to the disappearance of
a missing senior citizen that may be
expediently triggered by law enforcement personnel in accordance
with protocols and procedures
established by the division of state police in consultation with
appropriate law enforcement
authorities, the
health, state and local officials and cooperating members of
the broadcast media ("Missing Senior
Citizen Alert").
(f) Once a law
enforcement agency has confirmed the disappearance of a missing senior
citizen, the law enforcement agency will obtain descriptive
information for the missing senior
citizen alert, contact the state police to provide the
descriptive information to the state police and
identify a point of contact within its agency.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC00616
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