BILL REQ. #:  H-4216.1 

Read first time 01/17/2006.   Referred to Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law.

     AN ACT Relating to notification of parents, guardians, and custodians when a juvenile is taken into custody by law enforcement; adding a new section to chapter 13.40 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   Parents have a fundamental interest in knowing if their child has been taken into police custody for questioning and where their child is being held. Because a parent or guardian is most often in a position to provide a juvenile with guidance in matters of great importance to a juvenile, it is the intent of the legislature to assist parents in their ability to aid and guide their children when making important legal decisions, including the decision to waive legal rights during custodial interrogations. It is also the intent of the legislature to provide children in police custody the opportunity to seek and receive consultation with his or her parents.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:
     When a law enforcement officer takes a juvenile into custody, the officer must make reasonable attempts to notify a parent, guardian, or custodian that the juvenile is in custody and where the juvenile is being held.