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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 |
Nothing in this division prevents the activation of a local | 34 |
or regional emergency alert program that may impose different | 35 |
criteria for the activation of a local or regional emergency | 36 |
alert. | 37 |
(D) A radio broadcast station, television broadcast station, | 38 |
or cable system participating in the statewide blue alert program, | 39 |
and a director, officer, employee, or agent of a station or system | 40 |
participating in the program, is immune from liability for damages | 41 |
for any loss allegedly caused by or resulting from the station's | 42 |
or system's broadcast or cablecast of, or failure to broadcast or | 43 |
cablecast, any information pursuant to the statewide blue alert | 44 |
program. | 45 |
(E) The statewide blue alert program shall be operated in | 46 |
such a manner that it complements and does not conflict with | 47 |
similar federal alert programs. | 48 |