Rhode Island HB 5596: AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (Establishes a statewide public safety computer aided dispatch records management system.)

Bill Text

2021 -- H 5596 SUBSTITUTE A
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LC001649/SUB A/2
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY
COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Introduced By: Representatives Craven, and Noret
Date Introduced: February 12, 2021
Referred To: House State Government & Elections

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND 1
GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2
CHAPTER 28.10 3
STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPUTER AIDED RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 4
42-28.10-1. State wide re cords manage me nt s ys te m. 5
(a) The director of the department of public safety in his/her capacity as superintendent of 6
the division of state police is hereby authorized and empowered to provide for the installation, 7
operation, and maintenance of a statewide dispatch and records management system (RMS). The 8
statewide records management system shall provide for the storage, exchange, retrieval, retention, 9
manipulation, archiving, and viewing of information, records, documents, or files pertaining to law 10
enforcement operations. Such records may include, but not be limited to, incident and accident 11
reports, arrests, citations, warrants, case management, field contacts, final dispositions and other 12
operations-oriented records. 13
(b) State and local sworn law enforcement agencies are authorized to interface, at their own 14
expense, with the RMS for the exchange of information provided by the system. 15
(c) The department of public safety is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations 16
necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter. All rules, regulations and policies authorize d 17
under this chapter shall be promulgated in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42, the administrative 18

LC001649/SUB A/2 - Page 2 of 7
procedures act, and shall be in effect prior to an implementation of the RMS. 1
42-28.10-2. Re cord manage me nt s ys te m board of advis ors - Es tablis he d. 2
(a) There is hereby established a board of advisors for the Rhode Island records 3
management system. The board's purpose shall be to advise the department of public safety on the 4
implementation of this chapter. 5
(b) The board shall include the following: One member who shall be a representative of 6
the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs or designee; one member who shall be the Rhode 7
Island attorney general or designee; one member who shall be the chief of the Providence police 8
department or designee; one member of a law enforcement agency from a city or town with fewer 9
than twenty-five thousand (25,000) residents to be appointed by the Rhode Island Police Chiefs 10
Association; one member of a law enforcement agency from a city or town with twenty-five 11
thousand (25,000) residents or more, to be appointed by the Rhode Island Police Chiefs 12
Association; one member who shall be the President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association 13
or designee; one member who shall be the director of the Rhode Island department of 14
transportation's office on highway safety or designee; one member who shall be the superintendent 15
of the state police or designee; and one member from a sworn law enforcement agency within the 16
department of public safety. The director of public safety shall also appoint members to the board 17
from state agencies with an interest in law enforcement records management. 18
(c) A majority of the board shall elect the chair of the board on an annual basis. 19
42-28.10-3. Privacy policy and prote ctions . 20
(a) The RMS shall be responsible for safeguarding all collected information and shall 21
comply with all state and federal privacy laws in order to protect privacy rights, civil rights, and 22
civil liberties in the collection, use, analysis, retention, destruction, sharing, and disclosure of 23
information. Information gathered and retained by the RMS may only be accessed, stored or 24
disseminated for the specific purpose of administering the provisions of this chapter and shall only 25
be accessed by authorized users to have such access and only for those uses or purposes specified 26
by law. 27
(b) The RMS shall not retain personal information for a period longer than is reasonably 28
required to carry out the purposes of this chapter. 29
(c) The department of public safety is hereby directed to develop and maintain a privacy 30
policy which shall ensure safeguards are in place to protect personal information from unlawful 31
access, sharing and/or second party dissemination. The privacy policy shall include maintaining an 32
access log. 33
(d) Any request for access to public records pursuant to the provisions of chapter 2 of title 34

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38 shall be made to the agency that created the record. 1
42-28.10-4. Colle ction of