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For Immediate
Release
4/16/07
CONTACT:
Nate Silcox
(717) 787-6063
Senate Approves Regola's Booking Center Bill
Measure would fund "one-stop" booking centers for local police
The Senate today
overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill 397, legislation sponsored by
Senator Bob Regola (R-39) to help counties cover the costs of regional
police "booking centers."
The bill now goes to the House of
Representatives for consideration. The Senate approved a similar bill
last year, but the measure was not passed by the House prior to the end
of the 2005-06 Legislative Session.
"I am pleased that my colleagues have again
supported this proposal to give our law enforcement agencies an
important tool in their crime fighting efforts," Senator Regola said.
"I hope the House will move it through this time. This is too
important of an issue to let it to disappear. I hope the House will
agree and send it on to the Governor's desk."
SB 397 would specifically allow courts to
impose a booking fee on someone who is convicted of a crime. He said
regional booking centers use new technology to provide fast and
efficient processing for criminals and can make communities safer by
allowing police to know who they have in their possession more rapidly.
"These 'one stop shop' regional booking
centers are an important tool in crime fighting," said Senator Regola.
"They are cost effective because they are shared by many different
departments and they provide local police departments with access to
state of the art equipment and national databases."
The Westmoreland County Chiefs of Police
Association approached Senator Regola last year about problems the
encountered in trying to implement regional police booking centers in
the county. They were advised by the County Criminal Justice Advisory
Board that the county did not have the statutory authority to impose
that fee.
Booking centers, proposed for New
Kensington, Murrysville, Greensburg and Rostraver in Westmoreland
County, would each contain a "Live Scan" hand scanning device. This
device takes a digital image of a defendant's palm and fingerprints and
is able to transfer that information electronically to the Pennsylvania
State Police.
"The State Police can take that information
and enter it into a number of databases nationwide to determine the
defendant's background," Senator Regola said. "Astoundingly, this
transfer of information takes only seven minutes to complete and when it
comes to law enforcement and public safety, that speed is a vital
factor."
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