§15-3C-2. Findings and declarations relative to the "Blue Alert Plan".

(a) The Legislature finds that:

(1) Public alerts can be one of the most effective tools in locating criminal suspects;

(2) The disappearance of a law-enforcement officer in the line of duty or a person who kills or inflicts a life-threatening injury upon a law-enforcement officer poses a serious threat to the safety of the public, and the rapid dissemination of information, including a description of the missing law-enforcement officer, suspect, or suspects, details of the crime, and of any vehicles involved, to the citizens of the affected community and region is, therefore, critical;

(3) Alerted to the situation, the citizenry become an extensive network of eyes and ears serving to assist law enforcement in quickly locating and safely notifying the law-enforcement community of the location of the missing law-enforcement officer, suspect, or suspects;

(4) The most effective method of immediately notifying the public of the location of a missing law-enforcement officer or a person who kills or inflicts a life-threatening injury upon a law-enforcement officer is through the broadcast media; and

(5) All forms of developing technologies are required to assist law enforcement in rapidly responding to these alerts and are an additional tool for assuring the well-being and safety of our law-enforcement officers and the public. Thus, the use of traffic video recording and monitoring devices for the purpose of surveillance of a suspect vehicle adds yet another set of eyes to assist law enforcement and aid in locating a missing law-enforcement officer or the apprehension of a suspect or suspects who kill or inflict a life-threatening injury upon a law-enforcement officer.

(b) The Legislature declares that given the successes other states and regions have experienced in using broadcast media alerts to quickly locate a missing law-enforcement officer or locate and safely apprehend a suspect or suspects who kill or inflict a life-threatening injury upon a law-enforcement officer, and, with the recent development of highway video recording and monitoring systems, it is altogether fitting and proper, and within the public interest, to establish this program for West Virginia.