Senate Bill sb2074

    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2074

    By Senator Rich





    34-1354A-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to crimes against homeless

  3         persons; directing the Office of the Attorney

  4         General to develop and provide to the

  5         Legislature a report and recommendations

  6         regarding crimes against homeless persons;

  7         specifying certain contents of the report and

  8         recommendations; specifying entities to be

  9         consulted in development of the report and

10         recommendations; directing the Department of

11         Law Enforcement, in consultation with the

12         Criminal Justice Standards and Training

13         Commission and the Florida Criminal Justice

14         Executive Institute, to develop a telecourse to

15         instruct state and local law enforcement

16         agencies and operators concerning crimes

17         against homeless persons and ways to deal with

18         such crimes; specifying additional contents of

19         the telecourse; specifying entities to be

20         consulted in developing the telecourse;

21         directing the department and local law

22         enforcement agencies to provide the telecourse

23         to officers; providing an effective date.

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25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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27         Section 1.  (1)(a)  The Office of the Attorney General

28  shall assess the extent of the problem of crimes against

29  homeless persons and develop a plan to prevent these crimes

30  and to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these

31  crimes. In developing the assessment and plan, the office

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2074
    34-1354A-06




 1  shall consult homeless persons and their advocates, law

 2  enforcement agencies having experience in investigating crimes

 3  against the homeless, the Department of Law Enforcement, the

 4  Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute, and the regional

 5  domestic task forces created under s. 943.0312, Florida

 6  Statutes.

 7         (b)  The office shall make an initial report to the

 8  Legislature by January 7, 2007, and a final report by December

 9  1, 2007. Each report must include recommendations for any

10  legislation necessary to carry out the plan and a

11  recommendation on whether to enact additional laws to address

12  hate crimes that are committed in whole or in part because the

13  victim is homeless or is perceived to be homeless.

14         (2)  By July 1, 2007, the Department of Law

15  Enforcement, in consultation with the Criminal Justice

16  Standards and Training Commission and the Florida Criminal

17  Justice Executive Institute shall develop a 2-hour telecourse,

18  which shall be made available to all law enforcement agencies

19  in this state and shall address crimes against homeless

20  persons and methods of dealing effectively and humanely with

21  homeless persons, including homeless persons with

22  disabilities.  The telecourse must include instruction

23  concerning hate crimes and crimes committed in whole or in

24  part because of the victims' actual or perceived homelessness.

25  In developing the telecourse, the institute shall consult

26  subject-matter experts, including, but not limited to,

27  homeless and formerly homeless persons in this state, service

28  providers and advocates for such persons, experts on the

29  disabilities that homeless persons commonly suffer, Florida

30  Impact, and the National Coalition for the Homeless. The

31  Department of Law Enforcement, and local law enforcement

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2074
    34-1354A-06




 1  agencies shall make the telecourse available to all law

 2  enforcement officers.

 3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 4  law.

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 6            *****************************************

 7                          SENATE SUMMARY

 8    Directs the Attorney General to provide the Legislature
      with a report and recommendations regarding crimes
 9    against homeless persons. Provides for the content of the
      report and recommendations and specifies entities to be
10    consulted in their development. Directs the Department of
      Law Enforcement, in consultation with the Criminal
11    Justice Standards and Training Commission and the Florida
      Criminal Justice Executive Institute, to develop a
12    telecourse to instruct state and local law enforcement
      agencies and operators concerning crimes against homeless
13    persons and ways to deal with such crimes. Provides for
      contents of the telecourse and specifies entities to be
14    consulted in its development. Directs the department and
      local law enforcement agencies to provide the telecourse
15    to officers.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.