As Reported by the House Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee

129th General Assembly
Regular Session
2011-2012
Am. S. B. No. 258


Senators Manning, Patton 

Cosponsors: Senators Balderson, Hite, Hughes, LaRose, Widener, Eklund, Gentile, Burke, Schiavoni, Turner, Bacon, Beagle, Brown, Cafaro, Coley, Daniels, Faber, Jones, Kearney, Lehner, Obhof, Oelslager, Sawyer, Schaffer, Skindell, Smith, Tavares, Wagoner 

Representatives Combs, Damschroder, Hagan, R., Johnson, McClain, McGregor, O'Brien, Patmon, Ruhl, Uecker 



A BILL
To enact section 5502.53 of the Revised Code to 1
create the Statewide Blue Alert Program.2


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       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