Virginia Code 52-34.3:2: Establishment of the Virginia Critical Operation for a Disappeared Child Initiative (Codi) Alert Program
The Virginia State Police shall develop, in consultation with representatives of local law-enforcement agencies, including representatives from the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, policies for the establishment of uniform standards for the creation of Codi Alert Programs throughout the Commonwealth. Codi Alert Programs may be local, regional, or statewide. They may include multiple localities or regions and may be expanded or compressed. The Virginia State Police may (i) inform local law-enforcement officials of the policies and procedures for the Codi Alert Programs set by the Virginia State Police, (ii) assist in determining the geographic scope of a particular Codi Alert, and (iii) establish procedures and standards by which a local law-enforcement agency may verify a child is missing or endangered and report such information to the Virginia State Police.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 52-34.3:2
- Codi Alert: means the notice of a missing or endangered child provided to the public by the media or other methods under a Codi Agreement. See Virginia Code 52-34.3:1
- Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
- Media: means print, radio, television, and Internet-based communication systems or other methods of communicating information to the public. See Virginia Code 52-34.3:1
- Program: means the procedures and Codi Agreements to aid in the identification and location of missing or endangered children. See Virginia Code 52-34.3:1
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
The establishment of a Codi Alert Program by a locality and the media is voluntary, and nothing in this chapter shall be construed to be a mandate that local officials or the media establish or participate in a Codi Alert Program. Existing Codi Agreements and Codi Alert Programs shall not be altered by the act of assembly creating this chapter.