Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2803-B, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2001, c. 686, Pt. B, §1, is further amended to read:

D. Domestic violence, which must include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) A process to ensure that a victim receives notification of the defendant's release from jail;

(2) A risk assessment for A process for the collection of information regarding the defendant that includes the defendant's previous history, the parties' relationship, the name of the victim and a process to relay this information to a bail commissioner before a bail determination is made; and

(3) A process for the safe retrieval of personal property belonging to the victim or the defendant that includes identification of a possible neutral location for retrieval, the presence of at least one law enforcement officer during the retrieval and giving the victim the option of at least 24 hours notice to each party prior to the retrieval;

SUMMARY

This bill makes minor changes to the requirements contained within the mandatory law enforcement policy on domestic violence. Law enforcement agencies must have policies that require the collection of certain information by an officer that is to be provided to the bail commissioner after the arrest of a person involved in a domestic violence incident. A reference to a risk assessment is changed to the collection of information. The arresting officer does not perform a risk assessment. Secondly, the requirements regarding retrieval of personal property are modified slightly to allow for, rather than require, a neutral location for the exchange and to give the victim the option of 24 hours' notice to each party prior to retrieval rather than requiring it.