Missouri HB 2699: Requires law enforcement agencies to submit missing person cases to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System

Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2699
101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
5552H.02C DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal section 43.401, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to
missing persons reports.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 43.401, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu
2 thereof, to be known as section 43.401, to read as follows:
43.401. 1. The reporting of missing persons by law enforcement agencies, private
2 citizens, and the responsibilities of the patrol in maintaining accurate records of missing
3 persons are as follows:
4 (1) Apersonmayfileacomplaintofamissingpersonwithalawenforcementagency
5 having jurisdiction. The complaint shall include, but need not be limited to, the following
6 information:
7 (a) The name of the complainant;
8 (b) The name, address, and phone number of the guardian, if any, of the missing
9 person;
10 (c) The relationship of the complainant to the missing person;
11 (d) The name, age, address, and all identifying characteristics of the missing person;
12 (e) The length of time the person has been missing; and
13 (f) All other information deemed relevant by either the complainant or the law
14 enforcement agency;
15 (2) A report of the complaint of a missing person shall be immediately entered into
16 the Missouri uniform law enforcement system (MULES) [and], the National Crime
17 Information Center (NCIC) system, and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons
18 System (NamUs) by the law enforcement agency receiving the complaint, and disseminated
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.

19 to other law enforcement agencies who may come in contact with or be involved in the
20 investigation or location of a missing person;
21 (3) The law enforcement agency receiving the complaint of a missing person
22 shall attempt to locate current photos of the missing person and shall scan such photos
23 and enter them into MULES, NCIC, and NamUs as soon as practicable;
24 (4) A law enforcement agency with which a complaint of a missing child has been
25 filed shall prepare, as soon as practicable, a standard missing child report. The missing child
26 report shall be maintained as a record by the reporting law enforcement agency during the
27 course of an active investigation;
28 [(4)] (5) Upon the location of a missing person, or the determination by the law
29 enforcement agency of jurisdiction that the person is no longer missing, the law enforcement
30 agencywhichreportedthemissingpersonshallimmediatelyremovetherecordofthemissing
31 person from the MULES [and], NCIC, and NamUs files.
32 2. No law enforcement agency shall prevent an immediate active investigation on the
33 basis of an agency rule which specifies an automatic time limitation for a missing person
34 investigation.
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HCS HB 2699 2