§ 31-2.1-1 - Motor vehicle theft prevention program – Informed consent statement of owner – Issuance of vehicle decals – Authority to request production of valid driver's licen
SECTION 31-2.1-1
§ 31-2.1-1 Motor vehicle theft preventionprogram – Informed consent statement of owner – Issuance of vehicledecals – Authority to request production of valid driver's license andregistration. – The administrator of the division of motor vehicles, department ofadministration, in consultation with the superintendent of state police, shallestablish a motor vehicle theft prevention program which shall include theissuance of official decals to identify motor vehicles that are not normallyoperated between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. Participation in theprogram shall be voluntary in nature and shall involve the following:
(a) In the presence of a duly authorized police officer inany municipality participating in the program, the registered owner of a motorvehicle shall sign an informed consent statement indicating that the motorvehicle registered to the owner is not normally operated between the hours of1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. The form of an informed consent statement shall bepromulgated by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.
(b) Upon signing an informed consent statement, theregistered owner shall be issued a decal approved by the administrator of thedivision of motor vehicles and the decal shall be affixed to the owner'svehicle in a conspicuous place as prescribed by the administrator. The decalshall be issued and affixed by the police officer in the municipalityparticipating in the program.
(ii) The police officer issuing the decal shall make a recordof the decal number issued to each registered owner. These records shall bemaintained by the police department of any city or town participating in theprogram and shall be available to the administrator of the division of motorvehicles, to the superintendent of state police, and to local law enforcementagencies.
(c) Informed consent statement forms shall be available atall division of motor vehicles offices, state police headquarters, and city andtown police departments.
(d) Whenever any police officer sees a motor vehicledisplaying a decal issued pursuant to the provisions of this section operatedon any public highway in the state between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00A.M., the officer is authorized to request the driver to produce a validdriver's license and motor vehicle registration. Whenever the operator of themotor vehicle during such hours is unable to produce a driver's license andregistration, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person operatingthe vehicle is not the registered owner and does not have the authorization ofthe owner to operate the vehicle.