AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- SEXUAL ASSAULT .

Stronger sexual assault reporting and privacy

Police who investigate a sexual assault or child molestation case must fill out a report when they find probable cause or refer the case to the attorney general. The Domestic Violence Training and Monitoring Unit sets the form and the electronic filing process. The form must include names, relationships, sex, birth dates, incident date and time, whether children were present, type and extent of abuse, weapons, any prior court order, language barriers, and other needed facts. Departments must send the forms and the police report narratives each month. For cases still under investigation or with an unserved arrest warrant, they must file as soon as possible, and no later than the end of the calendar year of the incident. If the case ends in acquittal, dismissal, or other exoneration, the unit expunges the report. The law takes effect upon passage.