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| To enact section 5502.53 of the Revised Code to | 1 |
| create the Statewide Blue Alert Program. | 2 |
| Section 1. That section 5502.53 of the Revised Code be | 3 |
| enacted to read as follows: | 4 |
| Sec. 5502.53. (A) As used in this section: | 5 |
| "Cable system" has the meaning defined in section 2913.04 of | 6 |
| the Revised Code. | 7 |
| "Law enforcement agency" means an organization or unit made | 8 |
| up of law enforcement officers as defined in section 2901.01 of | 9 |
| the Revised Code. | 10 |
| (B) There is created the statewide blue alert program that | 11 |
| consists of a statewide system for the rapid dissemination of | 12 |
| information to speed the apprehension of persons suspected of | 13 |
| killing or seriously injuring law enforcement officers and to aid | 14 |
| in the location of missing law enforcement officers. The governor | 15 |
| shall organize the program as a coordinated effort among the | 16 |
| governor's office, the department of public safety, the attorney | 17 |
| general, law enforcement agencies, the state's public and | 18 |
| commercial television and radio broadcasters, the state's cable | 19 |
| systems, and others as considered necessary by the governor. | 20 |
| (C) A statewide blue alert shall be activated if all of the | 21 |
| following activation criteria are met: | 22 |
| (1) A local law enforcement agency confirms that a law | 23 |
| enforcement officer has been seriously injured or killed, and a | 24 |
| suspect has not been apprehended, or that a law enforcement | 25 |
| officer is missing while on duty under circumstances warranting | 26 |
| concern for the law enforcement officer's safety. | 27 |
| (2) There is sufficient descriptive information about the | 28 |
| suspect or the circumstances surrounding a law enforcement | 29 |
| officer's injury, death, or disappearance to indicate that | 30 |
| activation of the alert may help locate a suspect or a missing law | 31 |
| enforcement officer. | 32 |
| A local law enforcement agency is not required to notify the | 33 |
| statewide blue alert program that the law enforcement agency has | 34 |
| received information that meets the activation criteria set forth | 35 |
| in this division during the first twenty-four hours after the law | 36 |
| enforcement agency receives the information. | 37 |
| Nothing in this division prevents the activation of a local | 38 |
| or regional emergency alert program that may impose different | 39 |
| criteria for the activation of a local or regional emergency | 40 |
| alert. | 41 |
| (D) A radio broadcast station, television broadcast station, | 42 |
| or cable system participating in the statewide blue alert program, | 43 |
| and a director, officer, employee, or agent of a station or system | 44 |
| participating in the program, is immune from liability for damages | 45 |
| for any loss allegedly caused by or resulting from the station's | 46 |
| or system's broadcast or cablecast of, or failure to broadcast or | 47 |
| cablecast, any information pursuant to the statewide blue alert | 48 |
| program. | 49 |
| (E) The statewide blue alert program shall be operated in | 50 |
| such a manner that it complements and does not conflict with | 51 |
| similar federal alert programs. | 52 |