HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1912

BYRepresentatives Bowman, Patrick, Brumsickle, Belcher, Padden, Tate, Walker, Wolfe, Silver, Fraser, Van Luven, Schmidt, Moyer, Brough, Betrozoff, Locke, Brooks, Vekich, Appelwick, Wood, Youngsman, McLean, Baugher, D. Sommers, Scott, Holland, Horn, Winsley, Dorn, Doty and Rasmussen

Authorizing a juvenile court administrator to fingerprint juvenile offenders under certain conditions.

House Committe on Judiciary

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (18)

      Signed by Representatives Appelwick, Chair; Crane, Vice Chair; Padden, Ranking Republican Member; Belcher, Brough, Dellwo, Hargrove, Inslee, Locke, R. Meyers, Moyer, H. Myers, Patrick, Schmidt, Scott, D. Sommers, Tate and Wineberry.

House Staff:Regina Jones (786-7191)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 8, 1989

BACKGROUND:

This bill stems from a problem encountered in Lewis County in expeditiously obtaining the fingerprints of juveniles brought into juvenile detention. As part of the Criminal Justice Information Act (RCW 10.98), it is the duty of the chief law enforcement officer or the local director of corrections to send to the State Patrol, within 72 hours from the time of arrest, the fingerprints and other identifying data on persons arrested, fingerprinted and photographed. At the arraignment or preliminary hearing of a felony case, the judge must make sure that the defendant has been fingerprinted and that an arrest and fingerprint form has been sent to the State Patrol.

SUMMARY:

The bill modifies existing procedures where a felony defendant has not been fingerprinted at the time of his or her arraignment or preliminary hearing. Presently, the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction or the local director of corrections is directed by statute to initiate an arrest and fingerprint form if the felony defendant's fingerprints have not been taken.  This bill would allow the juvenile court administrator to initiate the arrest and fingerprint form in the case of a juvenile felony defendant.

It is presently the duty of chief law enforcement officers to have all adults and juveniles arrested for felony or gross misdemeanor offenses photographed and fingerprinted.  The bill modifies this slightly. When juveniles are brought directly to a juvenile detention facility, the bill authorizes a juvenile court administrator to have a juvenile photographed, and fingerprinted, and to transmit this information to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

The bill makes a technical correction to a reference to the Administrative Procedures Act.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Sheriff William Logan, Lewis County; Ralph Mackey, Snohomish County.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The bill does not change the law regarding who is required to be fingerprinted.  It is in the public interest for juvenile court personnel to be allowed to take fingerprints of juveniles held in detention.  This bill would allow flexibility in obtaining identifying data on juvenile arrestees.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.