Amended in Senate June 22, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1475


Introduced by Assembly Member Cooper

February 27, 2015


An act to add Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 13898) to Title 6 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, relating to sexual abuse.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1475, as amended, Cooper. Sexual assault response team.

Existing law authorizes any county to establish and implement a sexual assault felony enforcement (SAFE) team program for the purpose of reducing violent sexual assault offenses in the county through proactive surveillance and arrest of habitual sexual offenders and strict enforcement of registration for sex offenders, and to provide community education about ways to protect individuals and families from sexual assault.

This bill would authorize each county to establish an interagency sexual assault response team (SART) program for the purpose of providing a forum for interagency cooperation and coordination to effectively address the problem of sexual assault. The members of the team would be representatives of specified public and private agencies and organizations. The bill would require each SART to, among other things, evaluate the effectiveness of individual agency and interagency protocols and systems by conducting case reviews involving sexual assault.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 13898)
2is added to Title 6 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:

3 

4Chapter  12. County Sexual Assault Response Team
5(SART) Program
6

 

7

13898.  

(a) Each county may establish and implement an
8interagency sexual assault response team (SART) program for the
9purpose of providing a forum for interagency cooperation and
10coordination, to assess and make recommendations for the
11improvement in the local sexual assault intervention system, and
12to facilitate improved communication and working relationships
13to effectively address the problem of sexual assault in California.

14(b) Each SART program shall be established and implemented
15pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

16

13898.1.  

(a) Each SART may consist of representatives of the
17following public and private agencies or organizations:

18(1) Law enforcement agencies.

19(2) County district attorneys’ offices.

20(3) Rape crisis centers.

21(4) Local sexual assault forensic examination teams.

22(5) Crime laboratories.

begin insert

23(6) University and college Title IX coordinators.

end insert
begin insert

24(7) University and college police departments.

end insert

25(b) Dependent upon local needs and goals, each SART may
26include representatives of the following public and private agencies
27or organizations:

28(1) Child protective services.

29(2) Local victim and witness assistance centers.

30(3) County public health departments.

31(4) County mental health services departments.

32(5) Forensic interview centers.

33

13898.2.  

The program established pursuant to this chapter shall
34have the following objectives:

P3    1(a) Review of local sexual assault intervention undertaken by
2all disciplines to promote effective intervention and best practices.

3(b) Assessment of relevant trends, including drug-facilitated
4sexual assault, the incidence of predator date rape, and human sex
5trafficking.

6(c) Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of a per
7capita funding model for local sexual assault forensic examination
8teams to achieve stability for this component of the SART program.

9(d) Evaluation of the effectiveness of individual agency and
10interagency protocols and systems by conducting case reviews of
11cases involving sexual assault.

begin insert

12(e) Plan and implement effective prevention strategies and
13collaborate with other agencies and educational institutions to
14address sexual assault perpetrated by strangers, sexual assault
15perpetrated by persons known to the victim, including, but not
16limited to, a friend, family member, or general acquaintance of
17the victim, predatory date rape, risks associated with binge alcohol
18drinking, and drug-facilitated sexual assault.

end insert


O

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