Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 160 (2018GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Weiler, T.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/16/2018

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines "cold case";
• requires the Criminal Investigations and Technical Services Division to develop and maintain a secure database of certain unsolved crimes and missing persons investigations;
• allows the division to determine what information to collect, maintain, and allow the public to access by rule; and
• makes technical and conforming corrections.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

COLD CASE DATABASE
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Todd Weiler
House Sponsor: 
Michael K. McKell
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill requires that the Department of Public Safety develop and maintain a database
of cold cases.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ defines "cold case";
▸ requires the Criminal Investigations and Technical Services Division to develop and
maintain a secure database of certain unsolved crimes and missing persons
investigations;
▸ allows the division to determine what information to collect, maintain, and allow
the public to access by rule; and
▸ makes technical and conforming corrections.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53-10-104
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2006, Chapter 137
ENACTS:
53-10-115
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53-10-104
 is amended to read:
53-10-104.
Division duties.
The division shall:
(1) provide and coordinate the delivery of support services to law enforcement
agencies;
(2) maintain and provide access to criminal records for use by law enforcement
agencies;
(3) publish law enforcement and statistical data;
(4) maintain dispatch and communications services for public safety communications
centers and provide emergency medical, fire suppression, highway maintenance, public works,
and law enforcement communications for municipal, county, state, and federal agencies;
(5) analyze evidence from crime scenes and crime-related incidents for criminal
prosecution;
(6) provide criminalistic laboratory services to federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies, prosecuting attorneys' and agencies, and public defenders, with the exception of those
services provided by the state medical examiner in accordance with Title 26, Chapter 4, Utah
Medical Examiner Act;
(7) establish satellite laboratories as necessary to provide criminalistic services;
(8) safeguard the public through licensing and regulation of activities that impact
public safety, including concealed weapons, emergency vehicles, and private investigators;
(9) provide investigative assistance to law enforcement and other government agencies;
(10) collect and provide intelligence information to criminal justice agencies;
(11) investigate crimes that jeopardize the safety of the citizens, as well as the interests,
of the state;
(12) regulate and investigate laws pertaining to the sale and distribution of liquor;
(13) make rules to implement this chapter;
(14) perform the functions specified in this chapter;
(15) comply with the requirements of Section 
11-40-103
; [
and
]
(16) comply with the requirements of Sections 
72-10-602
 and 
72-10-603
[
.
]
; and
(17) develop and maintain a secure database of cold cases within the Utah Criminal
Justice Information System pursuant to Section 
53-10-115
.
Section 2. Section 
53-10-115
 is enacted to read:
 53-10-115.
Cold case database.
(1) As used in this section, "cold case" means an investigation into any crime listed in
Subsections 
76-1-301
(2)(a) through (g), or regarding a missing person, that remains unsolved
at least three years after the crime occurred or the individual went missing.
(2) The division shall develop a secure database within the Utah Criminal Justice
Information System that contains information related to each cold case that is open in any
jurisdiction in the state.
(3) The division shall adopt rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act, to specify:
(a) the information to be collected and maintained in the database; and
(b) what information may be accessed by the public.
(4) Each law enforcement agency in the state shall provide the information required by
the division for inclusion in the database for each open investigation. The law enforcement
agency shall maintain the physical evidence and investigation file for each case unless
otherwise agreed to by the law enforcement agency and the division.
(5) The division shall maintain the information on a cold case indefinitely.
Section 3. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect July 1, 2018.