AB 8, as introduced, Gatto. Emergency services: hit-and-run incidents.
Existing law authorizes use of the Emergency Alert System to inform the public of local, state, and national emergencies. Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to activate the Emergency Alert System within the appropriate area if that agency determines that a child 17 years of age or younger, or an individual with a proven mental or physical disability, has been abducted and is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, and there is information available that, if disseminated to the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of that person. Existing law also authorizes the issuance and coordination of a Blue Alert following an attack upon a law enforcement officer or a Silver Alert relating to a person who is 65 years of age or older who is reported missing.
This bill would authorize a law enforcement agency to issue a Yellow Alert if a person has been killed or has suffered serious bodily injury due to a hit-and-run incident and the law enforcement agency has specified information concerning the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle. The bill would require the Department of the California Highway Patrol to activate a Yellow Alert within the requested geographic area upon request if it concurs with the law enforcement agency that specified requirements are met.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 8594.15 is added to the Government
2Code, to read:
(a) For purposes of this section, “Yellow Alert”
4means a notification system, activated pursuant to subdivision (b),
5designed to issue and coordinate alerts with respect to a hit-and-run
6incident resulting in the death or injury of a person as described
7in Section 20001 of the Vehicle Code.
8(b) (1) If a hit-and-run incident is reported to a law enforcement
9agency, and that agency determines that the requirements of
10subdivision (c) are met, the agency may request the Department
11of the California Highway Patrol to activate a Yellow Alert. If the
12Department of the California Highway Patrol concurs that the
13requirements of subdivision (c) are met, it shall activate a Yellow
14Alert within the geographic area requested by the investigating
15law enforcement agency.
16(2) Radio, television, and cable and satellite systems are
17encouraged, but are not required, to cooperate with disseminating
18the information contained in a Yellow Alert.
19(3) Upon activation of a Yellow Alert, the Department of the
20California Highway Patrol shall assist the investigating law
21enforcement agency by issuing the Yellow Alert via a local digital
22sign.
23(c) A law enforcement agency may request that a Yellow Alert
24be activated if that agency determines that all of the following
25conditions are met in regard to the investigation of the hit-and-run
26incident:
27(1) A person has been killed or has suffered serious bodily injury
28due to a hit-and-run incident.
29(2) The investigating law enforcement agency has additional
30information concerning the suspect or the
suspect’s vehicle,
31including, but not limited to, any of the following:
32(A) The complete license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.
P3 1(B) A partial license plate number and the make, model, and
2color of the suspect’s vehicle.
3(C) The identity of the suspect.
4(3) Public dissemination of available information could either
5help avert further harm or accelerate apprehension of the suspect.
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