S 2985

2026 -- S 2985
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LC005275
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  STATE  OF      RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  AN ACT
 RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT
  Introduced By: Senators Quezada, Pearson, Mack, Euer, and DiMario
  Date Introduced: March 04, 2026
  Referred To: Senate Judiciary
  (Judiciary)
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
1SECTION 1. Section 12-29-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 12-29 entitled "Domestic
2 Violence Prevention Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:
312-29-8. Domestic violence reports.
4(a) A law enforcement officer who responds to or investigates a domestic violence incident
5 shall complete a domestic violence report/sexual assault reporting form, whether or not an arrest
6 occurs.
7(b) For the purpose of establishing accurate data on the extent and severity of domestic
8 violence in the state and on the degree of compliance with the requirements of § 12-29-3, the
9 domestic violence training and monitoring unit of the court system within the administrative office
10 of state courts shall prescribe a form and process for making submitting domestic violence reports
11 information to the unit. The form shall include, but is not limited to, the following information:
12(1) Name of the parties;
13(2) Relationship of the parties;
14(3) Sex of the parties;
15(4) Date of birth of the parties;
16(5) Time and date of the incident;
17(6) Whether children were involved or whether the alleged act of domestic violence was
18 committed in the presence of children;
19(7) Type and extent of the alleged abuse;
1(8) Number and types of weapons involved;
2(9) Existence of any prior court order; and
3(10) Existence of any language barriers;
4(11) Felony enhancement notation; and
5(10)(12) Any other data that may be necessary for a complete analysis of all circumstances
6 leading to the arrest of an incident subject to reporting under this section.
7(c) Each police law enforcement department shall forward copies of electronically submit
8 the domestic violence/sexual assault reporting forms and the reports corresponding police report
9 narratives to the unit at the end of each month. For those cases that were still under investigation
10 or for which an arrest warrant had been issued, but not yet executed in a given month, the
11 responsible law enforcement department shall electronically submit the domestic violence/sexual
12 assault reporting forms and the corresponding police report narratives as soon as practicable, but
13 not later than the end of the calendar year in which the incident occurred.
14SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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  EXPLANATION
  BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
  OF
  AN ACT
RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT
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1This act would require the electronic filing of domestic violence/sexual assault reporting
2 forms by law enforcement agencies, enhance the information to be included on the reporting forms,
3 and clarify that the reporting forms should be submitted monthly, or as soon as practicable upon
4 receipt of all relevant information regarding an incident subject to reporting.
5This act would take effect upon passage.
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    LC005275
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