Senate advances SB21 to define prisoner-transport responsibilities, require restitution for transport costs

The Utah Senate advanced Senate Bill 21 on January 19, 1993, sending the measure to the third-reading calendar after a committee recommendation and a floor presentation by Senator Rex Black.

Senator Rex Black said the bill addresses recurring problems with transporting felony suspects between counties by clarifying which law enforcement agency is responsible when a suspect is arrested outside the trial jurisdiction. "When a class A, B, or C felony has occurred, and a man is taken into custody, then the court that's going to have to try him at the jurisdiction of the law enforcement in that area is going to be required to be the one that can, to go get them," Black said on the floor. The bill allows the responsible agency to contract the transportation to another law enforcement agency if desired.

SB21 also requires courts to order restitution to cover transportation costs payable to the transporting law enforcement agency. Senator Black described a fee schedule included in the bill: $75 for the first 100 miles, $100 for the second 100 miles, and higher incremental fees for longer transports; the court would collect the restitution and pay the transporting agency. Black said law enforcement supports the approach and noted this was a committee-developed bill after study.

The clerk recorded 25 ayes with two senators absent when SB21 was moved to the third-reading calendar. Sponsors and committee chairs said the measure emerged from an interim committee study and reflects input from law enforcement and courts; implementation details and interaction with an upcoming public-safety recodification bill were flagged as items for conforming edits if both measures pass.