Florida Senate - 2011                                     SB 464
       
       
       
       By Senator Latvala
       
       
       
       
       16-00243C-11                                           2011464__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to assault or battery of a law
    3         enforcement officer; creating s. 784.071, F.S.;
    4         requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to issue a
    5         blue alert if a law enforcement officer has been
    6         killed, suffered serious bodily injury, or been
    7         assaulted and the suspect has fled the scene, or if a
    8         law enforcement officer is missing while in the line
    9         of duty; requiring that the blue alert be disseminated
   10         on the emergency alert system through television,
   11         radio, and highway signs; providing that emergency
   12         traffic information may take precedence over blue
   13         alert information; providing an effective date.
   14  
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 784.071, Florida Statutes, is created to
   18  read:
   19         784.071 Assault or battery on a law enforcement officer;
   20  missing while in line of duty; blue alert.—
   21         (1) At the request of an authorized person employed at a
   22  law enforcement agency, the Department of Law Enforcement, in
   23  cooperation with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
   24  Vehicles and the Department of Transportation, shall activate
   25  the emergency alert system and issue a blue alert if all of the
   26  following conditions are met:
   27         (a)1. A law enforcement officer has been killed, has
   28  suffered serious bodily injury, or has been assaulted with a
   29  deadly weapon; or
   30         2. A law enforcement officer is missing while in the line
   31  of duty under circumstances evidencing concern for the law
   32  enforcement officer’s safety;
   33         (b) The suspect has fled the scene of the offense;
   34         (c) The law enforcement agency investigating the offense
   35  determines that the suspect poses an imminent threat to the
   36  public or to other law enforcement officers;
   37         (d) A detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle, or
   38  other means of escape, or the license plate of the suspect’s
   39  vehicle is available for broadcasting;
   40         (e) Dissemination of available information to the public
   41  may help avert further harm or assist in the apprehension of the
   42  suspect; and
   43         (f) If the law enforcement officer is missing, there is
   44  sufficient information available relating to the officer’s last
   45  known location and physical description, and the description of
   46  any vehicle involved, including the license plate number or
   47  other identifying information, to be broadcast to the public and
   48  other law enforcement agencies, which could assist in locating
   49  the missing law enforcement officer.
   50         (2)(a) The blue alert shall be immediately disseminated to
   51  the public through the emergency alert system by broadcasting
   52  the alert on television, radio, and the dynamic message signs
   53  that are located along the state’s highways.
   54         (b) If a traffic emergency arises requiring that
   55  information pertaining to the traffic emergency be displayed on
   56  a highway message sign in lieu of the blue alert information,
   57  the agency responsible for displaying information on the highway
   58  message sign is not in violation of this section.
   59         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2011.