National Blue Alert Act of 2011 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, and (2) assign an existing DOJ officer to act as the national coordinator of such network.
Sets forth the duties of the national coordinator, including: (1) providing assistance to states and local governments that are using Blue Alert plans; (2) establishing voluntary guidelines for states and local governments to use in developing such plans; (3) developing protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects that address activities during the period between the initial notification of a law enforcement agency that a suspect has not been apprehended and the time of apprehension of the suspect, or when the law enforcement agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer effective; (4) working with states to ensure appropriate regional coordination of various elements of the network; (5) establishing an advisory group to assist states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and other entities in initiating, facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans; (6) acting as the nationwide point of contact for the development of the network and regional coordination of Blue Alerts; and (7) determining which procedures and practices for notifying law enforcement and the public when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured are effective and do not require the expenditure of additional resources to implement.
Prohibits the national coordinator from: (1) lobbying any officer of a state regarding the funding or implementation of a Blue Alert plan, or (2) hosting a conference focused solely on the Blue Alert program that requires the expenditure of federal funds.
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to: (1) authorize public safety and community policing grants to be used to assist states in developing and enhancing programs and activities in support of a Blue Alert plan and communications network, and (2) authorize appropriations for such purpose.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 657 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 657
To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the
United States in order to disseminate information when a law
enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 28, 2011
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr.
Coons, and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the
United States in order to disseminate information when a law
enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Blue Alert Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Blue
Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice designated under
section 4(a).
(2) Blue Alert.--The term ``Blue Alert'' means information
relating to the serious injury or death of a law enforcement
officer in the line of duty sent through the network.
(3) Blue Alert plan.--The term ``Blue Alert plan'' means
the plan of a State, unit of local government, or Federal
agency participating in the network for the dissemination of
information received as a Blue Alert.
(4) Network.--The term ``network'' means the Blue Alert
communications network established by the Attorney General
under section 3.
(5) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.
The Attorney General shall establish a national Blue Alert
communications network within the Department of Justice to issue Blue
Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and promotion of Blue
Alert plans, in coordination with States, units of local government,
law enforcement agencies, and other appropriate entities.
SEC. 4. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES.
(a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The Attorney
General shall assign an officer of the Department of Justice to act as
the national coordinator of the Blue Alert communications network.
(b) Duties of the Coordinator.--The Coordinator shall--
(1) encourage States and units of local government to
develop additional Blue Alert plans;
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States and units of
local government to use in developing Blue Alert plans that
will promote compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans
throughout the United States, including--
(A) a list of the resources necessary to establish
a Blue Alert plan;
(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation
warrants issuing a Blue Alert;
(C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity,
independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement
officer who may be the subject of a Blue Alert and the
family of the law enforcement officer;
(D) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be
issued with respect to a law enforcement officer if--
(i) the law enforcement agency involved--
(I) confirms--
(aa) the death or serious
injury of the law enforcement
officer; or
(bb) the attack on the law
enforcement officer and that
there is an indication of the
death or serious injury of the
officer; or
(II) concludes that the law
enforcement officer is missing in the
line of duty;
(ii) there is an indication of serious
injury to or death of the law enforcement
officer;
(iii) the suspect involved has not been
apprehended; and
(iv) there is sufficient descriptive
information of the suspect involved and any
relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
(E) guidelines--
(i) that information relating to a law
enforcement officer who is seriously injured or
killed in the line of duty should be provided
to the National Crime Information Center
database operated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation under section 534 of title 28,
United States Code, and any relevant crime
information repository of the State involved;
(ii) that a Blue Alert should, to the
maximum extent practicable (as determined by
the Coordinator in consultation with law
enforcement agencies of States and units of
local governments), be limited to the
geographic areas most likely to facilitate the
apprehension of the suspect involved or which
the suspect could reasonably reach, which
should not be limited to State lines;
(iii) for law enforcement agencies of
States or units of local government to develop
plans to communicate information to neighboring
States to provide for seamless communication of
a Blue Alert; and
(iv) providing that a Blue Alert should be
suspended when the suspect involved is
apprehended or when the law enforcement agency
involved determines that the Blue Alert is no
longer effective; and
(F) guidelines for--
(i) the issuance of Blue Alerts through the
network; and
(ii) the extent of the dissemination of
alerts issued through the network;
(3) develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects
that address activities during the period beginning at the time
of the initial notification of a law enforcement agency that a
suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the time of
apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement agency
involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer effective,
including protocols regulating--
(A) the use of public safety communications;
(B) command center operations; and
(C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and
public information procedures;
(4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional
coordination of various elements of the network;
(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of
local government, law enforcement agencies, and other entities
involved in the network with initiating, facilitating, and
promoting Blue Alert plans, which shall include--
(A) to the maximum extent practicable,
representation from the various geographic regions of
the United States; and
(B) members who are--
(i) representatives of law enforcement
organizations, law enforcement agencies, and
public safety communications;
(ii) broadcasters, first responders,
dispatchers, and radio station personnel; and
(iii) representatives of any other
individuals or organizations that the
Coordinator determines are necessary to the
success of the network; and
(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
(A) the development of the network; and
(B) regional coordination of Blue Alerts through
the network.
(c) Limitations.--
(1) Voluntary participation.--The guidelines established
under subsection (b)(2), protocols developed under subsection
(b)(3), and other programs established under subsection (b),
shall not be mandatory.
(2) Dissemination of information.--The guidelines
established under subsection (b)(2) shall, to the maximum
extent practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in
consultation with law enforcement agencies of States and units
of local government), provide that appropriate information
relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to the appropriate
officials of law enforcement agencies, public health agencies,
and other agencies.
(3) Privacy and civil liberties protections.--The
guidelines established under subsection (b) shall--
(A) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts
comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local
privacy laws and regulations; and
(B) include standards that specifically provide for
the protection of the civil liberties, including the
privacy, of law enforcement officers who are seriously
injured or killed in the line of duty and the families
of the officers.
(d) Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The Coordinator shall
cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of
Transportation, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,
and appropriate offices of the Department of Justice in carrying out
activities under this Act.
(e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit to
Congress a report on the activities of the Coordinator and the
effectiveness and status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect or
being developed.
SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF BLUE ALERT PLANS.
Section 1701(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (16), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph (18); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following:
``(17) to assist a State in the development or enhancement
of programs and activities in support of a Blue Alert plan and
the network (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the
National Blue Alert Act of 2010), including--
``(A) developing and implementing education and
training programs, and associated materials, relating
to Blue Alert plans;
``(B) developing and implementing law enforcement
programs, and associated equipment, relating to Blue
Alert plans; and
``(C) developing and implementing new technologies
to improve the communication of Blue Alerts; and''.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 1001(a)(11) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(C)(i) Of amounts authorized to be appropriated to carry out part
Q in any fiscal year, $10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for
grants for the purposes described in section 1701(b)(17).
``(ii) Amounts appropriated pursuant to clause (i) shall remain
available until expended.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1898-1899)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 160.
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