| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to crimes against homeless persons; |
| 3 | directing the Office of the Attorney General to develop |
| 4 | and provide to the Legislature a report and |
| 5 | recommendations regarding crimes against homeless persons; |
| 6 | specifying certain contents of the report and |
| 7 | recommendations; specifying entities to be consulted in |
| 8 | the development of the report and recommendations; |
| 9 | directing the Department of Law Enforcement, in |
| 10 | consultation with the Criminal Justice Standards and |
| 11 | Training Commission and the Florida Criminal Justice |
| 12 | Executive Institute, to develop a telecourse to instruct |
| 13 | state and local law enforcement agencies and operators |
| 14 | concerning crimes against homeless persons and ways to |
| 15 | deal with such crimes; specifying additional contents of |
| 16 | the telecourse; specifying entities to be consulted in |
| 17 | developing the telecourse; directing the department and |
| 18 | local law enforcement agencies to provide the telecourse |
| 19 | to officers; providing an effective date. |
| 20 |
|
| 21 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 22 |
|
| 23 | Section 1. (1)(a) The Office of the Attorney General |
| 24 | shall assess the extent of the problem of crimes against |
| 25 | homeless persons and develop a plan to prevent these crimes and |
| 26 | to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes. In |
| 27 | developing the assessment and plan, the office shall consult |
| 28 | homeless persons and their advocates, law enforcement agencies |
| 29 | having experience in investigating crimes against the homeless, |
| 30 | the Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Criminal Justice |
| 31 | Executive Institute, and the regional domestic task forces |
| 32 | created under s. 943.0312, Florida Statutes. |
| 33 | (b) The office shall make an initial report to the |
| 34 | Legislature by January 7, 2007, and a final report by December |
| 35 | 1, 2007. Each report must include recommendations for any |
| 36 | legislation necessary to carry out the plan and a recommendation |
| 37 | on whether to enact additional laws to address hate crimes that |
| 38 | are committed in whole or in part because the victim is homeless |
| 39 | or is perceived to be homeless. |
| 40 | (2) By July 1, 2007, the Department of Law Enforcement, in |
| 41 | consultation with the Criminal Justice Standards and Training |
| 42 | Commission and the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute |
| 43 | shall develop a 2-hour telecourse, which shall be made available |
| 44 | to all law enforcement agencies in this state and shall address |
| 45 | crimes against homeless persons and methods of dealing |
| 46 | effectively and humanely with homeless persons, including |
| 47 | homeless persons with disabilities. The telecourse must include |
| 48 | instruction concerning hate crimes and crimes committed in whole |
| 49 | or in part because of the victims' actual or perceived |
| 50 | homelessness. In developing the telecourse, the institute shall |
| 51 | consult subject matter experts, including, but not limited to, |
| 52 | homeless and formerly homeless persons in this state, service |
| 53 | providers and advocates for such persons, experts on the |
| 54 | disabilities that homeless persons commonly suffer, Florida |
| 55 | Impact, and the National Coalition for the Homeless. The |
| 56 | Department of Law Enforcement and local law enforcement agencies |
| 57 | shall make the telecourse available to all law enforcement |
| 58 | officers. |
| 59 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |