(a) There is established a Missing Children Information Clearinghouse within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The clearinghouse shall be supervised by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, who shall establish services deemed appropriate by the department to aid in the location of missing children.

(b) As used in this section:

(1) “Missing child” means any person who is under the age of eighteen years, whose temporary or permanent residence is in Connecticut or is believed to be in Connecticut, whose location has not been determined, and who has been reported as missing to a law enforcement agency.

(2) “Missing child report” is a report prepared on a form designed by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for the use by private citizens and law enforcement agencies to report missing children information to the Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.

(c) The clearinghouse is established as a central repository of information regarding missing children and other missing persons. Such information shall be collected and disseminated to assist in the location of missing children. The clearinghouse shall:

(1) Establish a system of intrastate communication of information relating to children determined to be missing by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of the child, or by a law enforcement agency;

(2) Provide a centralized file for the exchange of information on missing children within the state;

(3) Interface with the National Crime Information Center for the exchange of information on children suspected of interstate travel;

(4) Collect, process, maintain and disseminate information on missing children and shall strive to maintain or disseminate only accurate and complete information;

(5) Establish procedures to maintain the confidentiality of the medical information of any missing child or other missing person that is collected, discovered or otherwise obtained pursuant to the provisions of this section or section 29-1f, including procedures providing that no such medical information shall be disseminated to the public without the consent of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of any such missing child or, in the case of a missing person other than a missing child, the spouse, parent, sibling, child or next of kin of such person; and

(6) Conduct investigations concerning missing children in this state and cooperate with local law enforcement agencies and other state and federal agencies in investigations concerning missing children.

(d) All state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies shall submit to the clearinghouse all missing child reports received by any such agency.

(e) (1) Any parent, guardian or legal custodian may submit a missing child report to the clearinghouse on any child whose whereabouts is unknown, regardless of the circumstances, subsequent to the reporting of such to the appropriate law enforcement agency within the county in which the child became missing, which shall be included in the clearinghouse data base.

(2) The parent, guardian or legal custodian responsible for notifying the clearinghouse or a law enforcement agency of a missing child shall immediately notify such agency or the clearinghouse of any child whose location has been determined.

(P.A. 85-441, S. 1, 4; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 13-226, S. 1.)

History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 the words “The Department of” in the phrase “commissioner of the Department of Public Safety” in Subsec. (a) were deleted editorially by the Revisors for consistency with customary statutory usage); pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” and “Department of Public Safety” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” and “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-226 amended Subsec. (b) to add new Subdiv. (5) re procedures to maintain confidentiality of medical information and redesignate existing Subdiv. (5) as Subdiv. (6).