§ 31-50-1 - Office of automobile theft and insurance fraud – Powers and duties of investigators.
SECTION 31-50-1
§ 31-50-1 Office of automobile theft andinsurance fraud – Powers and duties of investigators. – (a) There is established an office of automobile theft and insurance fraud.
(b) The scope and purpose of the office of automobile theftand insurance fraud shall be to investigate and prosecute crimes involving thetheft or other unauthorized use of motor vehicles and to investigate andprosecute all forms of automobile insurance-related fraud.
(c) The office of automobile theft and insurance fraud shallconsist of a director, and not less than five (5) nor more than eight (8)investigators, who shall be selected and who shall be specially-trained toinvestigate instances of automobile theft and automobile claim insurance fraud.The director shall be a member of the Rhode Island state police with at leastthe rank of sergeant, and shall remain on the personnel rolls of the RhodeIsland state police, with the same salary and benefits schedule, and shallretain all powers of a member of the Rhode Island state police of that rank.
(d) The office of automobile theft and insurance fraud shallbe under the jurisdiction of the superintendent of the state police. He or sheshall appoint the director of that office from amongst the members of statepolice who have attained the rank of sergeant or above. The director, with theapproval of the superintendent, shall have the authority to appoint and toremove, if necessary, the investigators and staff of the office.
(e) The director and the investigators shall have thefollowing powers:
(1) To arrest independently or in conjunction with local,state or federal law enforcement agencies.
(2) To apply for and execute search warrants;
(3) To serve civil and criminal process.
(f) No person shall be appointed as an investigator in theoffice unless he or she has successfully completed the basic course ofinstruction for police officers at the Providence Police Training Academy, theRhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy, or the Rhode Island StatePolice Training Academy, and has at least three (3) years of active lawenforcement experience, or has served as a member of the United StatesMarshal's Service or as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,a criminal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice,the United States Department of State, the United States Department of theTreasury or the United States Postal Inspection Service and has at least three(3) years of active law enforcement experience, or has been certified as apolice officer by the duly-constituted state commission on police officerstandards and training of another state, and has at least three (3) years ofactive law enforcement experience. Prior to the appointment of any individuals,a background examination shall be conducted utilizing federal, state and locallaw enforcement agencies, bureau of criminal identification, national crimeinformation center, and any and all relevant records existing within thefederal and state court systems.
(g) The attorney general shall designate one assistant orspecial assistant attorney general to the office whose duties shall beexclusively devoted to the office of automobile theft and insurance fraud. Thatassistant shall be funded from the account established in § 31-50-4.
(h) The state shall hold the director and each investigatorharmless and indemnify them to the extent provided under § 9-31-12 foracts committed within the scope of their employment.