455.543. Homicides or suicides, determination of domestic violence, factors to be considered--reports made to highway patrol, forms, due when.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

455.543. Homicides or suicides, determination of domestic violence, factors to be considered--reports made to highway patrol, forms, due when.

Homicides or suicides, determination of domestic violence, factorsto be considered--reports made to highway patrol, forms, due when.

455.543. 1. In any incident investigated by a law enforcement agencyinvolving a homicide or suicide, the law enforcement agency shall make adetermination as to whether the homicide or suicide is related to domesticviolence, as defined in section 455.200.

2. In making such determination, the local law enforcement agency mayconsider a number of factors including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) If the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is orwas that of a family or household member, as defined in section 455.010;

(2) Whether the victim or perpetrator had previously filed for anorder of protection ;

(3) Whether any of the subjects involved in the incident hadpreviously been investigated for incidents of domestic violence; and

(4) Any other evidence regarding the homicide or suicide that assiststhe agency in making its determination.

3. After making a determination as to whether the homicide or suicideis related to domestic violence, the law enforcement agency shall forwardthe information required within fifteen days to the Missouri state highwaypatrol on a form or format approved by the patrol. The requiredinformation shall include the gender and age of the victim, the type ofincident investigated, the disposition of the incident and the relationshipof the victim to the perpetrator. The state highway patrol shall develop aform for this purpose which shall be distributed by the department ofpublic safety to all law enforcement agencies by October 1, 2000.Completed forms shall be forwarded to the highway patrol without unduedelay as required by section 43.500, RSMo; except that all such reportsshall be forwarded no later than seven days after an incident is determinedor identified as a homicide or suicide involving domestic violence.