BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 839|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 839
Author: Runner (R), et al
Amended: 6/14/10
Vote: 21
SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 3/23/10
AYES: Leno, Cogdill, Cedillo, Hancock, Huff, Steinberg,
Wright
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 36-0, 4/15/10
AYES: Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Calderon, Cedillo,
Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, DeSaulnier, Dutton,
Florez, Hancock, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe,
Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza,
Padilla, Pavley, Price, Romero, Runner, Simitian,
Steinberg, Strickland, Walters, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Denham, Ducheny, Wiggins, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 8/16/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Emergency services: blue alert system
SOURCE : Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff
California Association of Highway Patrolmen
California Broadcasters Association
California State Sheriffs Association
Peace Officers Research Association of
California
CONTINUED
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DIGEST : This bill creates a blue alert system similar to
the Amber Alert system to notify the public when a law
enforcement officer has been attacked, as specified.
Assembly Amendments clarify what is incorporated within the
Blue Alert System relative to notification resources and
capabilities.
ANALYSIS : Existing law, commonly known as "Amber Alert,"
provides that if an abduction has been reported to a law
enforcement agency and the agency determines that a child
17 years of age or younger, or an individual with a proven
mental or physical disability, has been abducted and is in
imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death and there
is information available that, if disseminated to the
general public, could assist in the safe recovery of the
victim, the agency, shall request the activation of the
Emergency Alert System within the appropriate local area.
(Section 8594(a) of the Government Code)
Existing law provides that the Department of the California
Highway Patrol (CHP) in consultation with the Department of
Justice (DOJ) as well as a representative from the
California State Sheriffs' Association, the California
Police Chiefs' Association and the California Peace
Officers' Association shall develop policies and procedures
providing instruction specifying how law enforcement
agencies, broadcasters participating in the Emergency Alert
System, and where appropriate, other supplemental warning
systems, shall proceed after a qualifying abduction has
been reported to a law enforcement agency. (Section
8594(b) of the Government Code )
This bill establishes a "Blue Alert" system of public
notification relating to emergencies endangering law
enforcement officers modeled after Amber Alert, with the
following specific features:
1. "Blue alert" will be defined to mean "a quick response
system designed to issue and coordinate alerts following
an attack upon a law enforcement officer," as specified.
2. Upon the request of an authorized person at a law
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enforcement agency that is investigating an attack upon
a law enforcement officer, the CHP would be required to
activate the Emergency Alert System and issue a blue
alert if all of the following conditions are met:
A. A law enforcement officer has been killed, suffers
serious bodily injury, or is assaulted with a deadly
weapon, and the suspect has fled the scene of the
offense.
B. A law enforcement agency investigating the offense
has determined that the suspect poses an imminent
threat to the public or other law enforcement
personnel.
C. A detailed description of the suspect's vehicle or
license plate is available for broadcast.
D. Public dissemination of available information may
help avert further harm or accelerate apprehension of
the suspect.
E. The CHP has been designated to use the federally
authorized Emergency Alert System for the issuance of
blue alerts.
This bill provides that the blue alert system incorporates
a variety of notification resources and developing
technologies that may be tailored to the circumstances and
geography of the underlying attack. The blue alert system
shall utilize the state-controlled Emergency Digital
Information System, local digital signs, focused text, or
other technologies, as appropriate, in addition to the
federal Emergency Alert System, if authorized and under
conditions permitted by the federal government.
This bill requires, on or before December 31, 2011, the CHP
to "augment the department's public Internet Web site to
include a blue alert link that describes the "blue alert"
process, objectives, and available quick responses. The
Internet Web site shall explain that the term blue alert
will communicate that a peace officer has been attacked or
killed and that the scope of an alert will be tailored to
the circumstances of the offense and available
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technologies."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10)
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff (co-source)
California Association of Highway Patrolmen (co-source)
California Broadcasters Association (co-source)
California State Sheriffs' Association (co-source)
Peace Officers Research Association of California
(co-source)
California Correctional Supervisors Organization
Los Angeles Police Protective League
Los Angeles Probation Officers' Union, AFSCME, Local 685
Orange County Board of Supervisors
Riverside Police Officers' Association
Riverside Sheriffs'Association
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author states:
"SB 839 would allow the California Highway Patrol to
issue a Blue Alert, which is a quick response system
designed to issue and coordinate alerts following an
attack upon a law enforcement officer if the following
conditions are met:
A law enforcement officer has been killed,
suffers serious bodily injury, or is assaulted with
a deadly weapon, and the suspect has fled the scene
of the offense;
A law enforcement agency investigating the
offense has determined that the suspect poses an
imminent threat to the public or other law
enforcement personnel;
A detailed description of the suspect's vehicle
or license plate is available for broadcast;
Public dissemination of available information
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may help avert further harm or accelerate
apprehension of the suspect; and
The California Highway Patrol has been
designated to use the federally authorized Emergency
Alert System (EAS) for the issuance of "blue
alerts."
"Additionally, the Blue Alert response system shall
employ the broad-based EAS after the federal government
has established a Blue Alert code, as well as Emergency
Digital Information Services (EDIS), local digital signs,
focused cell phone text alerts, and all other appropriate
technologies.
"The proposed Blue Alert would serve the same function as
the highly successful AMBER Alert, namely, it would
quickly and effectively get many pairs of eyes looking
for a criminal who kills or assaults a law enforcement
officer.
"It is common for law enforcement personnel at these
crime scenes to have some information about these violent
individuals, including a general description or a partial
license plate number, which emphasizes the need to use
California's existing emergency alert system to allow the
public to partner with law enforcement officials in the
hunt for criminals who are clearly a threat to society.
"As the AMBER Alert system has demonstrated time and
again throughout the United States, a quick response is
vital.
"Currently, Texas is the only state using Blue Alerts.
Oklahoma has legislation ready to be introduced.
"Allowing the CHP to employ the broad-based EAS, after
the federal government has established a Blue Alert code
as well as EDIS, local digital signs, focused cell phone
text alerts, or other appropriate technologies to
activate a Blue Alert will ensure that its rare use is an
efficient and cost effective way to bring together the
necessary resources to assist in quickly locating cop
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killers who often flee the scene of the crime in a
vehicle, as evidenced by the number of multiple officers
killed in Oakland and Seattle last year."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Carter, Chesbro, Conway,
Cook, Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Eng, Evans,
Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines,
Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries,
Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,
Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Blakeslee, Charles Calderon,
Davis, Vacancy
RJG:mw 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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