2023 -- H 5568

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LC000622

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- LAW ENFORCEMENT

INTEGRITY ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Batista, Tanzi, Potter, Alzate, and Felix

     Date Introduced: February 15, 2023

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND

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GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 165

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LAW ENFORCEMENT INTEGRITY ACT

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     42-165-1. Short title.

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     This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Law Enforcement Integrity Act".

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     42-165-2. Definitions.

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     As used in this chapter, the following words, terms and phrases have the meanings

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indicated:

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     (1) "Contacts" means an interaction with an individual, whether or not the person is in a

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motor vehicle, initiated by a peace officer, whether consensual or nonconsensual, for the purpose

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of enforcing the law or investigating possible violations of the law. "Contacts" do not include

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routine interactions with the public at the point of entry or exit from a controlled area.

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     (2) "Demographic information" means race, ethnicity, sex, and approximate age.

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     (3) "Peace officer" means the individuals and agencies as defined in ยง 12-7-21.

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     (4) "Physical force" means the application of physical techniques or tactics, chemical

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agents, or weapons to another person.

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     (5) "Serious bodily injury" means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death or

 

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causes serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any

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bodily member or organ.

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     42-165-3. Documented excessive force.

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     Notwithstanding any provision of law, if any peace officer is convicted of or pleads guilty

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or nolo contendere to a crime involving the unlawful use or threatened use of physical force, a

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crime involving the failure to intervene in the use of unlawful force, or is found civilly liable for

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the use of unlawful physical force, or is found civilly liable for failure to intervene in the use of

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unlawful force, the chief law enforcement officer for the offender's department shall impose

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discipline up to and including termination to the extent permitted by the provisions of chapter 28.6

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of title 42.

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     42-165-4. Restricted force in response to protests.

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     In response to a protest or demonstration, a law enforcement agency and any person acting

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on behalf of the law enforcement agency shall not:

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     (1) Discharge kinetic impact projectiles and all other non- or less-lethal projectiles in a

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manner that targets the head, pelvis, or back;

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     (2) Discharge kinetic impact projectiles indiscriminately into a crowd; or

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     (3) Use chemical agents or irritants, including pepper spray and tear gas, prior to issuing

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an order to disperse in a sufficient manner to ensure the order is heard and repeated if necessary,

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followed by sufficient time and space to allow compliance with the order.

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     42-165-5. Civil action for deprivation of rights.

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     (a) A peace officer, employed by a local government who, under color of law, subjects or

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causes to be subjected, including failing to intervene, any other person to the deprivation of any

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individual rights that create binding obligations on government actors secured by the United States

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Constitution, or by the state constitution, is liable to the injured party for legal or equitable relief or

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any other appropriate relief.

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     (b)(1) Statutory immunities and statutory limitations on liability, damages, or attorneys'

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fees shall not apply to claims brought pursuant to this section.

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     (2) Qualified immunity is not a defense to liability pursuant to this section.

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     (c) In any action brought pursuant to this section, a court shall award reasonable attorneys'

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fees and costs to a prevailing plaintiff. In actions for injunctive relief, a court shall deem a plaintiff

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to have prevailed if the plaintiff's suit was a substantial factor or significant catalyst in obtaining

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the results sought by the litigation. When a judgment is entered in favor of a defendant, the court

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may award reasonable costs and attorney fees to the defendant for defending any claims the court

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finds frivolous.

 

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     (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a peace officer's employer shall indemnify

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its peace officers for any liability incurred by the peace officer and for any judgment or settlement

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entered against the peace officer for claims arising pursuant to this section; except that, if the peace

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officer's employer determines that the officer did not act upon a good faith and reasonable belief

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that the action was lawful, then the peace officer shall be personally liable and shall not be

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indemnified by the peace officer's employer for five percent (5%) of the judgment or settlement or

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twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), whichever is less. Notwithstanding any provision of this

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section to the contrary, if the peace officer's portion of the judgment is uncollectible from the peace

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officer, the peace officer's employer or insurer shall satisfy the full amount of the judgment or

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settlement. A public entity does not have to indemnify a peace officer if the peace officer was

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convicted of a criminal violation for the conduct from which the claim arises.

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     (e) A civil action pursuant to this section shall be commenced within three (3) years after

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the cause of action accrues.

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     42-165-6. Use of force by peace officers.

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     (a) Peace officers, in carrying out their duties, shall apply nonviolent means, when possible,

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before resorting to the use of physical force. A peace officer may use physical force only if

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nonviolent means would be ineffective in effecting an arrest, preventing an escape, or preventing

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an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death to the peace officer or another person.

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     (b) When physical force is used, a peace officer shall:

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     (1) Not use deadly physical force to apprehend a person who is suspected of only a minor

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or nonviolent offense;

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     (2) Use only a degree of force consistent with the minimization of injury to others;

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     (3) Ensure that assistance and medical aid are rendered to any injured or affected persons

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as soon as practicable; and

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     (4) Ensure that any identified relatives or next of kin of persons who have sustained serious

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bodily injury or death are notified as soon as practicable.

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     (c) A peace officer is prohibited from using a chokehold upon another person. For the

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purposes of this subsection, "chokehold" means a method by which a person applies sufficient

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pressure to a person to make breathing difficult or impossible and includes, but is not limited to,

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any pressure to the neck, throat, or windpipe that may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake

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of air. "Chokehold" also means applying pressure to a person's neck on either side of the windpipe,

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but not to the windpipe itself, to stop the flow of blood to the brain via the carotid arteries.

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     (d) A peace officer is justified in using deadly physical force to make an arrest only when

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all other means of apprehension are unreasonable given the circumstances and:

 

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     (1) The arrest is for a felony involving conduct including the use or threatened use of deadly

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physical force;

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     (2) The suspect poses an immediate threat to the peace officer or another person; and

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     (3) The force employed does not create a substantial risk of injury to other persons.

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     (e) A peace officer shall identify himself or herself as a peace officer and give a clear verbal

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warning of his or her intent to use firearms or other deadly physical force, with sufficient time for

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the warning to be observed, unless to do so would unduly place peace officers at risk of injury, or

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would create a risk of death or injury to other persons. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this

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section, a peace officer is justified in using deadly force if the peace officer has an objectively

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reasonable belief that a lesser degree of force is inadequate and the peace officer has objectively

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reasonable grounds to believe, and does believe, that he/she or another person is in imminent danger

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of being killed or of receiving serious bodily injury.

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     42-165-7. Duty to report use of force by peace officers โ€“ Duty to intervene.

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     (a) A peace officer shall intervene to prevent or stop another peace officer from using

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physical force that exceeds the degree of force permitted, if any, by the provisions of this chapter.

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This intervention shall include, but not be limited to, circumstances in which the other peace officer

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is carrying out an arrest of any person, placing any person under detention, taking any person into

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custody, booking any person, or in the process of crowd control or riot control, without regard for

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chain of command.

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     (b) A peace officer who intervenes as required by subsection (a) of this section, shall report

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the intervention to his or her immediate supervisor.

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     (c) At a minimum, the report required by subsection (b) of this section shall include the

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date, time, and place of the occurrence; the identity, if known, and description of the participants;

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and a description of the intervention actions taken. This report shall be made in writing within ten

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(10) days of the occurrence of the use of such force and shall be appended to all other reports of

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the incident.

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     (d) A member of a law enforcement agency shall not discipline or retaliate in any way

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against a peace officer for intervening as required by subsection (a) of this section, or for reporting

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unconstitutional conduct, or for failing to follow what the officer reasonably believes is an

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unconstitutional directive.

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     (e) Any peace officer who fails to intervene to prevent the use of unlawful force as

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prescribed in this section commits a misdemeanor punishable by confinement of not more than one

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year and/or a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). Nothing in this subsection shall

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prohibit or discourage prosecution of any other criminal offense related to failure to intervene,

 

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including a higher charge, if supported by the evidence.

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     (f) When an internal investigation finds that a peace officer failed to intervene to prevent

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the use of unlawful physical force as prescribed in this section, this finding shall be presented to

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the attorney general in order that he or she can determine whether charges should be filed pursuant

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to this section; provided; however, nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the attorney general

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from charging an officer with failure to intervene before the conclusion of any internal

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investigation.

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     (g) In addition to any criminal liability and penalty under the law, when an internal

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investigation finds that a peace officer failed to intervene as required by subsection (a) of this

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section in an incident resulting in serious bodily injury or death to any person, the peace officer's

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employer shall subject the peace officer to discipline, up to and including termination, pursuant to

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the provisions of chapter 28.6 of title 42.

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     (h) In a case in which the department of the attorney general charges a peace officer with

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offenses related to and based upon the use of excessive force but does not file charges against any

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other peace officer or officers who were at the scene during the use of force, the attorney general

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shall prepare a written report explaining the attorney general's basis for the decision not to charge

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any other peace officer with any criminal conduct and shall publicly disclose the report to the

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public; except that if disclosure of the report would substantially interfere with or jeopardize an

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ongoing criminal investigation, the attorney general may delay public disclosure for up to forty-

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five (45) days. The attorney general shall post the written report on its website. Nothing in this

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section is intended to prohibit or discourage criminal prosecution of an officer who failed to

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intervene for conduct in which the facts support a criminal charge, including under a complicity

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theory, or for an inchoate offense.

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     42-165-8. Training.

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     Each law enforcement agency in the state shall train its peace officers regarding compliance

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with the provisions of this chapter.

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     42-165-9. Peace officer โ€“ Involved death investigations - Disclosure.

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     Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, with respect to a peace officer involved in

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an investigation resulting in death, if the attorney general refers the matter under investigation to

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the grand jury, the attorney general shall release a statement at the time the matter is referred to the

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grand jury disclosing the general purpose of the grand jury's investigation. If a no true bill is

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returned, the grand jury shall issue and publish a report.

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     42-165-10. Profiling โ€“ Officer identification.

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     (a) If a peace officer shall make a contact, whether consensual or nonconsensual, for the

 

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purpose of enforcing the law or investigating possible violations of the law, then after making

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contact, a peace officer shall report to the peace officer's employing agency:

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     (1) The perceived demographic information of the person contacted; provided, that the

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identification of these characteristics is based on the observation and perception of the peace officer

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making the contact and other available data;

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     (2) Whether the contact was a traffic stop;

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     (3) The time, date, and location of the contact;

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     (4) The duration of the contact;

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     (5) The reason for the contact;

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     (6) The suspected crime;

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     (7) The result of the contact, such as:

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     (i) No action, warning, citation, property seizure, or arrest;

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     (ii) If a warning or citation was issued, the warning provided or violation cited;

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     (iii) If an arrest was made, the offense charged; or

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     (iv) If the contact was a traffic stop, the information collected, which is limited to the driver;

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     (6) The actions taken by the peace officer during the contact, including, but not limited to,

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whether:

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     (i) The peace officer asked for consent to search the person, vehicle, or other property, and,

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if so, whether consent was provided;

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     (ii) The peace officer searched the person or any property, and, if so, the basis for the search

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and the type of contraband or evidence discovered, if any;

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     (iii) The peace officer seized any property, and, if so, the type of property that was seized

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and the basis for seizing the property;

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     (iv) A peace officer unholstered a weapon during the contact; and

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     (v) A peace officer discharged a firearm during the contact.

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     (b) A peace officer shall provide, without being asked, the peace officer's business card to

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any person whom the peace officer has detained in a traffic stop but has not cited or arrested. The

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business card shall include identifying information about the peace officer, including, but not

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limited to, the peace officer's name, division, precinct, and badge or other identification number; a

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telephone number that may be used, if necessary, to report any comments, positive or negative,

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regarding the traffic stop; and information about how to file a complaint related to the contact. The

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identity of the reporting person and the report of any such comments that constitute a complaint

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shall initially be kept confidential by the receiving law enforcement agency, to the extent permitted

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by law. The receiving law enforcement agency shall be permitted to obtain some identifying

 

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information regarding the complaint to allow initial processing of the complaint. If it becomes

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necessary for the further processing of the complaint for the complainant to disclose the

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complainant's identity, the complainant shall do so or, at the option of the receiving law

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enforcement agency, the complaint may be dismissed.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- LAW ENFORCEMENT

INTEGRITY ACT

***

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     This act would specify and restrict the use of excessive physical force by peace officers,

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require various reporting requirements of the incident and create a civil action for violations of

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constitutional rights as well as impose a duty to intervene on peace officers at the scene of the

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incident.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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