Chapter 943 — Chapter 943

(1) For the purposes of this section, the term:(a) “Chokehold” means the intentional and prolonged application of force to the throat, windpipe, or airway of another person that prevents the intake of air. The term does not include any hold involving contact with another person’s…

(1) This section shall apply to use of force investigations conducted when a law enforcement officer’s use of force results in the death of any person or the intentional discharge of a firearm that results in injury or death to any person.(2) Each law enforcement agency shall dev…

(1) By July 1, 2023, the commission shall incorporate into the course curriculum required for initial certification of a law enforcement officer instruction on health and wellness principles specific to the law enforcement profession. The commission shall consult with the Florida…

(1) Inservice training programs consisting of courses established, implemented, and evaluated by an employing agency are the responsibility of the employing agency. Inservice training programs consisting of courses established, implemented, and evaluated by a criminal justice tra…

(1)(a) The Legislature finds that there exists a need to provide quality training for criminal justice executives in this state. In recognition of this need, the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute is hereby created, to be administered for the purpose of providing such t…

(1) The Legislature finds that there exists a need to provide training to criminal justice executives in the subject of interpersonal skills relating to diverse populations, with an emphasis on the awareness of cultural differences.(2) The policy board of the Criminal Justice Exe…

(1) The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission shall revise its standards and training for basic recruits and its requirements for continued employment by integrating instructions on interpersonal skills relating to diverse populations into the criminal justice standa…

The commission shall make a comprehensive study of the compensation and benefits paid to law enforcement officers and correctional officers throughout the state. Among the items to be researched shall be variation in salary scale, education and training of officers, retirement an…

(1) Any full-time, part-time, or auxiliary law enforcement or correctional officer duly certified by the commission and employed or appointed as of September 30, 1984, and any correctional probation officer employed or appointed as of September 30, 1986, and any correctional prob…

(1) For the purpose of this section, the term:(a) “Accredited college, university, or community college” means a college, university, or community college that has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, another regional accrediting agency, the Accred…

(1) The Department of Law Enforcement may approve, for disbursement from the Department of Law Enforcement Operating Trust Fund, those appropriated sums necessary and required by the state for grant matching, implementing, administering, evaluating, and qualifying for such federa…

Elected officers are exempt from the requirements of ss. 943.085-943.25. However, an elected officer may participate in the programs and benefits under ss. 943.085-943.25 if he or she complies with s. 943.13(1)-(7).

Neither chapter 80-71, Laws of Florida, nor chapter 81-24, Laws of Florida, shall be construed to invalidate any prior rule promulgated by the Police Standards and Training Commission or the Correctional Standards Council or the department. Such rules as presently exist shall sta…

(1) The creation of criminal justice selection centers is authorized. Each center shall be under the direction and control of a postsecondary public school, hereinafter called the “directing school,” or of a criminal justice agency, hereinafter called the “directing agency,” with…

As used in this act:(1) “Region” means a geographic area which is no less than one county.(2) “Participating agency” means any public county or municipal law enforcement or corrections agency that elects to utilize the center in its region. (1) “Region” means a geographic area wh…

Each center’s policies shall be established by an advisory board comprised of not more than 11 members, the composition of which shall be determined by the participating agencies.

(1) Each advisory board shall elect a chair from among its members. Other offices may be created as each board finds necessary or appropriate, and any such offices shall be filled by election from the membership of the board.(2) Each advisory board shall meet at least once during…

Each center shall operate in the facility of, and under the day-to-day supervision of, a directing school or directing agency. The advisory board shall provide input into the selection and hiring of all employees of the center, but the employees shall be selected and employed by …

(1) Each center shall develop, establish, and maintain a centralized information center on prospective candidates for criminal justice positions in the region served. Each center shall provide and undertake standardized screening, testing, examination, and background investigatio…

Upon the request of any participating criminal justice agency in its region, the center shall engage in a feasibility study to establish a qualified pool of evaluators to assess qualifications of inservice officers for purposes of determining promotions.

(1) Each directing agency or school is authorized to create an account in the name of its regional assessment center within the restricted current fund at the directing school or directing agency, which account within the restricted current fund must be used exclusively for the o…

Members of advisory boards shall not receive compensation for their services but shall receive reimbursement for expenses as provided in s. 112.061.

The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission or a center’s advisory board may inspect and copy any documents from the center as required to carry out the commission’s or the respective board’s oversight responsibilities, including information and documents related to ap…

It is the intent of the Legislature to:(1) Provide a statewide criminal analysis laboratory system to meet the needs of the criminal justice agencies.(2) Provide state-operated laboratories in certain regions of the state where a distinct need for a significant level of laborator…

There is established a statewide criminal analysis laboratory system to be composed of:(1) The state-operated laboratories under the jurisdiction of the Department of Law Enforcement in Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa, and such other areas of the s…

(1) There is created within the department the Rapid DNA Grant Program to award grants to county jails or sheriffs’ offices to support local law enforcement agencies in the processing and expediting of DNA samples as defined in, and in support of the statewide DNA database under,…

(1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—(a) The Legislature finds that DNA databases are important tools in criminal investigations, in the exclusion of individuals who are the subject of criminal investigations or prosecutions and in detecting recidivist acts. It is the policy of this state to …

(1) When a court orders postsentencing DNA testing of physical evidence, pursuant to s. 925.11, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or its designee shall carry out the testing.(2) The cost of such testing may be assessed against the sentenced defendant, pursuant to s. 925.1…

(1) A sexual offense evidence kit, or other DNA evidence if a kit is not collected, must be submitted to a member of the statewide criminal analysis laboratory system under s. 943.32 for forensic testing within 30 days after:(a) Receipt of the evidence by a law enforcement agency…

(1) As used in this section, the term “forensic investigative genetic genealogy” means the combined application of laboratory testing, genetic genealogy, and law enforcement investigative methods to develop investigative leads in unsolved violent crimes and provide investigative …

(1) The state-operated laboratories shall furnish laboratory service upon request to law enforcement officials in the state. The testing services of such laboratories by persons employed by or acting on behalf of the department shall also be available to any defendant in a crimin…

The department shall exercise full operational control of the state-operated laboratories and shall exercise, among others, the power and duty to:(1) Establish the organizational structure of such laboratories to include the designation of the geographical regions which the labor…

(1) The following existing criminal analysis laboratories are eligible for receipt of state funding:(a) The Broward County Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory;(b) The Miami-Dade Police Department Crime Laboratory;(c) The Indian River Crime Laboratory;(d) The Palm Beach County Crime Labora…

(1) For the purpose of providing state funding, each laboratory designated in s. 943.35 shall submit to the Department of Law Enforcement, on or before October 15 of each year, a written report containing the following:(a) The actual operating costs of the immediate prior fiscal …

(1) Funds deposited pursuant to ss. 938.055 and 938.07 for the statewide criminal analysis laboratory system shall be used for state reimbursements to local county-operated crime laboratories enumerated in s. 943.35(1), and for the equipment, health, safety, and training of membe…

(1) There is created the Forfeiture and Investigative Support Trust Fund into which the department may deposit revenues received as a result of state or federal criminal proceedings, other than revenues deposited into the department’s Federal Law Enforcement Trust Fund under s. 9…

(1) The Federal Law Enforcement Trust Fund is created within the Department of Law Enforcement. The department may deposit into the trust fund receipts and revenues received as a result of federal criminal, administrative, or civil forfeiture proceedings and receipts and revenues…

(1) The Federal Grants Trust Fund is created within the Department of Law Enforcement.(2) The fund is established for use as a depository for funds to be used for allowable grant activities funded by restricted program revenues. Moneys to be credited to the trust fund shall consi…

(1) The Administrative Trust Fund is created within the Department of Law Enforcement.(2) The fund is established for use as a depository for funds to be used for management activities that are departmentwide in nature and funded by indirect cost earnings or assessments against t…

(1) Those laboratories specified in s. 943.35 may submit to the Department of Law Enforcement a request to become state-operated laboratories. Such request shall include an offer to convey to the state the laboratory facility, including the physical plant, fixtures, equipment, an…

The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules necessary for the operation of the criminal justice program.

(1) No later than January 1, 2008, the department shall develop and maintain a system to provide automatic notification of registration information regarding sexual predators and sexual offenders to the public.(2) In accordance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Saf…

For the purposes of ss. 943.60-943.68, the term “Capitol Complex” means that portion of Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, commonly referred to as the Capitol, the Historic Capitol, the Senate Office Building, the House Office Building, the Knott Building, the Pepper Building, th…

Except as may be agreed to by the presiding officers of both houses of the Legislature, nothing in this chapter shall limit or otherwise interfere with the rights and powers of the Senate or the House of Representatives, or the officers of either, to direct or command members or …

(1) There is created the Capitol Police within the Department of Law Enforcement, to serve the safety and security needs of both the legislative and executive branches of state government. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Capitol Police serve as a specially trained an…

(1) The executive director of the Department of Law Enforcement shall nominate, no later than 7 days prior to each organization session of the Legislature, an individual to serve as the director of the Capitol Police, who shall serve at the pleasure of the executive director of t…

(1) In addition to, and in conjunction with, the other powers and duties specified by law, the Capitol Police shall conduct traffic accident investigations and investigations relating to felonies and misdemeanors occurring within the Capitol Complex. Any matters may be referred t…

A person arrested by an officer of the Capitol Police shall be delivered to the sheriff of the county in which the arrest takes place unless a notice to appear is issued.

Law enforcement officers of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, special agents or inspectors of the Department of Law Enforcement, and law enforcement officers of other state agencies, counties, and municipalities are ex officio agents of the Capitol Police, and …

The Capitol Police may enforce rules of the Department of Management Services governing the administration, operation, and management of the Facilities Program and regulating traffic and parking at state-owned buildings or on state-owned property and any local ordinance on the vi…