Duty to Report Wounds or Deaths

Duty to Report Wounds or Deaths. (a) Every person who gains knowledge of a rape, aggravated assault, or death or injury resulting from a knife wound, bullet wound, powder burn, or other cause sustained in a suspicious or unusual manner or under conditions suggesting poisoning or violence, shall make a report of it immediately, and in any case within five days of obtaining such knowledge, to the nearest law enforcement official or to any police officer or to the Director of Public Safety. The report shall state: (1) The name and location of the injured or deceased person; (2) The date of injury or death, or date of gaining knowledge of it by the informant, if the date of injury or death is unknown; (3) The cause and manner of injury or death; and (4) The name of the person causing injury or death, if known. (b) No person making a report in compliance with this section is deemed to have violated the confidential relationship existing between doctor and patient. (c) Every person who gains knowledge of an offense defined under this title shall promptly notify the nearest law enforcement official, any police officer, or the Director of Public Safety and shall: (1) Provide his or her own name and address; (2) The nature of the offense; (3) The approximate date, time, and location of the offense; and (4) Identification or description of any known participants in the offense. (d) Copies of the report shall be furnished without charge to the public defender upon request after charges have been filed in court. (e) A person convicted of violating this section may be punished by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by a fine of not more than $500, or both. Source: PL 3-71, § 1 (§ 465). Commission Comment: With respect to the references to the “Director of Public Safety,” see Executive Order 94-3 (effective August 23, 1994), reorganizing the executive branch, changing agency names and official titles, and effecting other changes, set forth in the Commission comment to 1 CMC § 2001.