Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §1502-B is enacted to read:

§1502-B.__Fatal motor vehicle accidents; jurisdiction

The State Police has primary jurisdiction over investigations of fatal motor vehicle accidents when evidence at the scene appears to indicate that a surviving operator of a motor vehicle involved in the accident violated a law governing the operation of a motor vehicle.__The State Police shall coordinate its investigation of such an accident with the investigations of sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, constables, marshals, deputy marshals and police officers of cities and towns as far as possible.

SUMMARY

This bill specifies that the State Police is the lead agency for the investigation of fatal motor vehicle accidents when it appears that a surviving operator of one of the vehicles involved in the accident violated a law governing the operation of a motor vehicle. This bill provides status to the State Police similar to the status given other state agencies involving different crimes, such as giving the State Fire Marshal lead-agency status over suspicious fires and the Attorney General direction and control over suspected homicides.