Senate Bill 1910

    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1910

    By Senator Laurent





    12-981-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to protective investigations;

  3         amending s. 39.301, F.S.; requiring the

  4         Department of Children and Family Services to

  5         forward to local law-enforcement agencies

  6         allegations of criminal conduct received by the

  7         central abuse hotline; providing a definition;

  8         requiring such agencies to review the

  9         information and determine whether a criminal

10         investigation is warranted; providing

11         procedures; providing an effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Subsections (2) and (17) of section 39.301,

16  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

17         39.301  Initiation of protective investigations.--

18         (2)(a)  The department Upon notification by the

19  department's central abuse hotline under subsection (1), the

20  designated child protective investigator shall immediately

21  forward allegations of criminal conduct received by the

22  central abuse hotline to the municipality or county notify the

23  appropriate law enforcement agency of the county in which the

24  alleged conduct has known or suspected child abuse,

25  abandonment, or neglect is believed to have occurred.

26         (b)  As used in this subsection, the term "criminal

27  conduct" means a violation of s. 827.03, s. 39.201(64), or s.

28  39.302(1). Upon receiving an allegation of criminal conduct

29  from the department receipt of a report, the law enforcement

30  agency shall must review the information in the report to and

31  determine whether a criminal investigation of the case is

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1910
    12-981-00




  1  warranted. and, If the law enforcement agency accepts the case

  2  for so, shall conduct the criminal investigation that shall be

  3  coordinated, it shall coordinate its investigative activities

  4  with the department whenever feasible possible, with the child

  5  protective investigation of the department or its agent. If

  6  the law enforcement agency does not accept the case for

  7  criminal investigation, the case shall be referred back to the

  8  department.

  9         (17)  In a child protective investigation, the child

10  protective investigator is responsible for photographing When

11  a law enforcement agency is participating in an investigation,

12  the agency shall take photographs of the child's living

13  environment. Such photographs shall become part of the

14  investigative file.

15         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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18                          SENATE SUMMARY

19    Requires the Department of Children and Family Services
      to forward to local law enforcement agencies allegations
20    of criminal conduct, as defined, received by the central
      abuse hotline. Requires such agencies to review the
21    information and determine whether a criminal
      investigation is warranted. Provides procedures.
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