North Dakota Code 37-17.3-10 – Lost or missing individuals
The division shall:
Terms Used In North Dakota Code 37-17.3-10
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Individual: means a human being. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
1. Establish and maintain a statewide file system for the purpose of effecting an immediate law enforcement response to reports of lost or missing individuals.
2. Implement a data exchange system to compile, maintain, and make available for dissemination to North Dakota and to out-of-state law enforcement agencies descriptive information to assist appropriate agencies in recovering lost or missing individuals.
3. Establish contacts and exchange information regarding lost or missing individuals with the national crime information center.
4. Notify each enforcement agency that a report of lost or missing individuals must be entered as soon as the minimum level of data specified by the division is available to the reporting agency and that no waiting period for entry of that data exists. If the enforcement agency is unable to enter the data, the division shall enter the information into the national crime information center file immediately upon notification.
5. Compile and retain information regarding lost or missing individuals in a separate file, in a manner that allows the information to be used by law enforcement and other agencies considered appropriate for investigative purposes by the division. The enforcement agency is responsible for maintaining the disposition of the case and periodically shall review the case with the reporting party and the division to ensure all available information is included and to determine the current status of the case. As used in this subsection, “individual” means an individual who is eighteen years of age or older.
6. Provide prompt confirmation of the receipt and entry of the lost or missing individuals report into the file system to the enforcement agency providing the report or to the parent, guardian, or identified family member as provided in subsection 7.
7. If any parent, guardian, or identified family member is unable to receive services from the local law enforcement agency, allow the parent, guardian, or identified family member to submit a lost or missing individuals report to the division which must be included in the division file system and transmitted to the national crime information center.
8. Compile and maintain a historical data repository relating to lost or missing individuals for the following purposes:
a. To develop and improve techniques utilized by law enforcement agencies when responding to reports of lost or missing individuals; and
b. To provide a factual and statistical base for research that addresses the problem of lost or missing individuals.