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COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 12/7/2023-REPORTED OUT TO THE FLOOR 11/09/2023-REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY 10/10/2023-HELD IN COMMITTEE BILL NO. 35-0131 Thirty-Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands September 12, 2023 An Act amending title 3 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 15 to establish a “Real Time Crime Center” Centralized Crime Data System, within the Virgin Islands Police Department PROPOSED BY: Senators Diane T. Capehart, Marvin A. Blyden, Ray Fonseca, and Dwayne M. DeGraff Co-sponsor: Franklin D. Johnson and Marise C. James Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 1 SECTION 1. Title 3, chapter 15 of the Virgin Islands Code, is amended by adding a 2 new section 263a to read as follows: 3 “§ 263a Real time Crime Center 4 The technologies available allow law enforcement agencies and officers to respond to 5 crime events more efficiently, more deliberately, with improved operational intelligence, and 6 with a proactive emphasis on officer, citizen, and community safety. However, the increasingly 7 vast amount of data, information, and intelligence can be difficult to manage. Agencies may 8 struggle with filtering out what is immediately important versus what can be useful in 9 2 delivering more critical and timely information to the appropriate constituencies (the officers 1 or detectives on-scene, commanders in the field, and law enforcement executives. 2 (a) The Commissioner of Police shall establish, within the Virgin Islands Police 3 Department, a Real Time Crime Center with offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix. The mission 4 of the Real Time Crime Center is to provide the Virgin Islands Police Department with the 5 ability to capitalize on a wide and expanding range of technologies for efficient and effective 6 policing. 7 (b) The Real Time Crime Center must be equipped with the following: 8 (1) Gunshot detection technology; 9 (2) Surveillance camera network; 10 (3) Automated license plate reading; 11 (4) Fingerprint technology; and 12 (5) Automated Criminal records including complaints, arrests, convictions, 13 juvenile records, and facial recognition capability. 14 (c) The Police Commissioner shall consult with the Attorney General for his approval 15 if the records to be entered in the Real Time Crime Center are confidential.” 16 SECTION 2. (a) The sum of $2,500,000 is appropriated in the fiscal year ending 17 September 30, 2023, from the General Fund of the Virgin Islands to the Virgin Islands Police 18 Department for the sole purpose of establishing the Real Time Crime Center and may not be 19 used for any other purpose, including overtime. 20 (b) Monies appropriated herein used for any other purpose, other than for the 21 establishment of the Real Time Crime Center shall automatically cause the person the 22 3 authorizes the expenditure to forfeit his employment with the Government of the Virgin Islands 1 and is personally liable to the Government for the unauthorized expenditure. 2 (c) The funds appropriated in subsection (a) remain available until expended. 3 BILL SUMMARY 4 This bill amends title 3, chapter 15 of the Virgin Islands Code to establish the Real Time 5 Crime Center within the Virgin Islands Police Department to give the department a new tool to 6 fight crime along with the requisite funding. 7 BR23-0520/August 23, 2023/AA 8