[Approved by Governor August 13, 2015. Filed with Secretary of State August 13, 2015.]
AB 1475, 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.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 13898) is added to Title 6 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:
(a) Each county may establish and implement an interagency sexual assault response team (SART) program for the purpose of providing a forum for interagency cooperation and coordination, to assess and make recommendations for the improvement in the local sexual assault intervention system, and to facilitate improved communication and working relationships to effectively address the problem of sexual assault in California.
(b) Each SART program shall be established and implemented pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(a) Each SART may consist of representatives of the following public and private agencies or organizations:
(1) Law enforcement agencies.
(2) County district attorneys’ offices.
(3) Rape crisis centers.
(4) Local sexual assault forensic examination teams.
(5) Crime laboratories.
(b) Dependent upon local needs and goals, each SART may include representatives of the following public and private agencies or organizations:
(1) Child protective services.
(2) Local victim and witness assistance centers.
(3) County public health departments.
(4) County mental health services departments.
(5) Forensic interview centers.
(6) University and college Title IX coordinators.
(7) University and college police departments.
The program established pursuant to this chapter shall have the following objectives:
(a) Review of local sexual assault intervention undertaken by all disciplines to promote effective intervention and best practices.
(b) Assessment of relevant trends, including drug-facilitated sexual assault, the incidence of predatory date rape, and human sex trafficking.
(c) Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of a per capita funding model for local sexual assault forensic examination teams to achieve stability for this component of the SART program.
(d) Evaluation of the effectiveness of individual agency and interagency protocols and systems by conducting case reviews of cases involving sexual assault.
(e) Plan and implement effective prevention strategies and collaborate with other agencies and educational institutions to address sexual assault perpetrated by strangers, sexual assault perpetrated by persons known to the victim, including, but not limited to, a friend, family member, or general acquaintance of the victim, predatory date rape, risks associated with binge alcohol drinking, and drug-facilitated sexual assault.
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