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REFERENCE TITLE: turquoise alerts; statewide; training |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026
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SB 1740 |
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Introduced by Senators Hatathlie: Alston, Gonzales, Kuby, Shope, Sundareshan
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AN ACT
Amending section 41-1728.01, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to turquoise alerts.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 41-1728.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
41-1728.01. Turquoise alert system; requirements; definitions
A. The department shall establish the turquoise alert system as a quick response system designed to issue and coordinate statewide alerts following the report of a missing person.
B. On the request of an authorized person at a law enforcement agency that is investigating a report of a missing person, the department shall request an activation of the emergency alert system and issue a statewide turquoise alert if all of the following conditions are met:
1. The missing person is under sixty-five years of age.
2. The law enforcement agency investigating the missing person report:
(a) Has used all available local resources, including complying with section 8-901 if the person is a missing, kidnapped or runaway child.
(b) Has determined that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
(c) Believes that the missing person is in danger or that the missing person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person or that there are other factors indicating that the missing person may be in peril.
3. There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.
4. The department has been designated to use the federally authorized emergency alert system for the issuance of turquoise alerts.
C. If the department issues a turquoise alert pursuant to this section, the department shall provide the turquoise alert information to any other entity that provides similar notifications in this state.
D. Each law enforcement agency shall do all of the following:
1. Develop, implement and regularly update training criteria regarding the turquoise alert system pursuant to this section.
2. Conduct TURQUOISE ALERT SYSTEM training for all employees of the law enforcement agency, at the time of hire and biannually, who have direct involvement in missing person cases, including the supervisors of these employees and communication dispatchers. The training must include a review of the law enforcement agency's policies and any state policies regarding locating a missing, abducted or runaway child, with a specific focus on Turquoise alert procedures. The training shall be comprehensive and shall create a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the legal criteria and processes involved in issuing a timely turquoise alert.
D. E. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Law enforcement agency" means the Arizona department of public safety, a municipal police department, a county sheriff's office, a tribal law enforcement agency and or a federal law enforcement agency that operates within this state.
2. "Person" includes a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe.