For purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) ACMEC. The Alabama Center for Missing and Exploited Children created by this chapter within the department.

(2) CJIC. The Criminal Justice Information Center of the state.

(3) DEPARTMENT. The Alabama Department of Public Safety.

(4) DIRECTOR. The Director of the Department of Public Safety.

(5) LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies of this state primarily, and of other states generally.

(6) MISSING CHILD. A child whose whereabouts are unknown to the child's legal custodian, the circumstances of whose absence indicate that:

a. The child did not voluntarily leave the care and control of the custodian, and the taking of the child was not authorized by law; or

b. The child voluntarily left the care and control of the child's legal custodian without the custodian's consent and without intent to return.

(7) MISSING PERSON. A person 18 years old or older whose disappearance is possibly not voluntary.

(8) NCIC. The National Crime Information Center and its computer system of reported missing persons and unidentified deceased persons maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Every public school system in this state shall notify the Department of Education and ACMEC immediately with respect to any child whose name appears on the department's list of missing school children who is subsequently found.

There is created within the Department of Public Safety a statewide information and investigation center for the reporting by law enforcement agencies and other agencies and persons of missing persons, exploited children, and unidentified deceased persons. The center shall be known as the Alabama Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which may be referred to simply as 'ACMEC.'

The Director of the Department of Public Safety is required to establish the Alabama Center for Missing and Exploited Children within the department, and for any purposes, may transfer or assign existing personnel within the department and may hire additional technical, legal, clerical, investigative, and other persons necessary to implement this chapter.

ACMEC shall be responsible for the following specific functions:

(1) To receive and promptly enter into the Department of Public Safety's computer system all reports of law enforcement agencies, and other persons and agencies, of missing children and adults, exploited children, and of unidentified deceased persons, and all pertinent information submitted by the person or agency reporting which is contained in any investigation or investigations conducted pursuant to the report. ACMEC shall promptly enter the information in the NCIC computer network. If a missing person is subsequently found or if an unidentified deceased person is subsequently identified, and the information is reported to the ACMEC, ACMEC shall maintain, as necessary, the data for law enforcement purposes only.

(2) To coordinate with and provide assistance to state and local public and private nonprofit agencies, including those of other states and the federal government, in investigating cases of missing persons, exploited children, and unidentified bodies and to conduct appropriate investigations.

(3) To provide training to law enforcement officers, other professionals, and medical examiners, when available, on issues relating to missing persons, exploited children, and unidentified bodies.

(4) To compile annual statistics on the number of missing persons, exploited children, and unidentified deceased persons in this state.

(5) To develop recommendations for uniform reporting and investigation protocol for law enforcement agencies within this state and the use of computer systems.

(6) To establish and operate a toll free telephone number to assist agencies and individuals in the reporting of missing persons, exploited children, and unidentified deceased persons.

(7) To provide periodic lists, including photographs if available, to the State Board of Education, of all missing school children in this state, grades K-12.

(8) To assist local law enforcement agencies and other agencies to set up direct computer access to the state computer system.

(9) To solicit and collect from the state and local public and private nonprofit agencies in other states and of the national government dealing with missing persons all available lists of missing children grades K-12 for dissemination to the State Board of Education.

(10) To provide all state and local public and private nonprofit agencies in other states or of the national government dealing with missing persons a list of all missing Alabama children, with photographs, if available, for dissemination to the school systems of other states to locate the children.

(11) To act as liaison between private citizens and law enforcement agencies regarding the appropriate procedures for handling and responding to missing person cases and cases involving exploited children.

(12) To assist local law enforcement agencies and community organizations who sponsor programs to fingerprint children by enabling parents to retain a permanent fingerprint record of their children for identification purposes.

(13) To assist in the preparation and dissemination of fliers of missing persons, exploited children, and their abductors.

(14) To operate a resource center of information regarding prevention of abduction and sexual exploitation of children.

Any law enforcement agency in this state in which a complaint of a missing person has been filed shall prepare and send a report to ACMEC immediately on any missing person or unidentified deceased person. That report shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) All information contained in the complaint on a missing person.

(2) All information or evidence gathered by a preliminary investigation, if one was made.

(3) A statement, by the law enforcement officer in charge, setting forth that officer's assessment of the case based upon all evidence and information received.

(4) An explanation of the next steps to be taken by the law enforcement agency filing the report.

Upon completion of the report, a copy of the teletype message with pertinent information shall be forwarded to:

(1) All law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction of the location in which the missing person lives or was last seen.

(2) All law enforcement agencies considered to be potentially involved by the law enforcement agency filing the report.

(3) All law enforcement agencies which the complainant requests the report to be sent to, if the request is reasonable in light of the information contained in the report.

(4) Any law enforcement agency requesting a copy of the missing person report.

Upon receiving a report of a person believed to be missing, the law enforcement agency shall conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether the person is missing. If the person is determined to be missing, the agency shall immediately enter identifying and descriptive information about the person to the Alabama Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ACMEC) and to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) through the Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIC). Law enforcement agencies having direct access to the CJIC and the NCIC computer shall enter and retrieve the data directly and shall cooperate in the entry and retrieval of data on behalf of law enforcement agencies which do not have direct access to the systems. Law enforcement agencies shall likewise report or enter data to ACMEC relating to unidentified deceased persons.

Immediately after a missing person is located, or an unidentified deceased person is subsequently identified, the law enforcement agency which locates or returns the missing person, or which identifies a previously unidentified deceased person, shall notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the investigation, and that agency shall cancel the entry from the state CJIC, the NCIC computer, and from ACMEC.

The State Board of Education shall perform the following functions:

(1) Collect each month a list of missing Alabama school children, with a photograph, if available, as provided by ACMEC. A missing Alabama school child shall be defined for the purposes of this section as a child under 18 years whose whereabouts are unknown and who may reasonably be expected to be attending an Alabama school. The list shall be designed to include such information as the board deems necessary for the identification of the missing school child.

(2) Compile from the information collected pursuant to subdivision (1) a list of missing school children, to be distributed monthly to all public school systems admitting children to kindergarten through grade 12. The list shall include the names of all such missing children, together with such other information, with photographs, when available. The school systems shall distribute this information to the public schools in the system by whatever manner each system deems appropriate.

(3) Obtain from principals of public, private, and parochial schools in Alabama the name, birthdate, and Social Security number of each pupil who enrolls in the school for the first time and submit the information to ACMEC within thirty (30) days of the pupil's enrollment.