Jurisdiction and responsibilities of law enforcement officers

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  1. (a) Within their jurisdictions, and cooperatively in overlapping jurisdictional situations such as the state highway extensions within municipal corporations, law enforcement officers of Arkansas are declared to be responsible for the investigation and reporting of all traffic accidents and the deaths, injuries, and property damage resulting therefrom.

  2. (b) These responsibilities shall be generally as outlined:

    1. (1) The federal interstate system — The Department of Arkansas State Police;

    2. (2) The state highway system — The Department of Arkansas State Police and, within municipal corporations, the municipal police, except that the Department of Arkansas State Police may investigate accidents on all streets, county roads, and state highways;

    3. (3) The municipal streets within the boundaries of a municipal corporation which are not a part of the state highway system — The municipal police in cities of the first and second class and the municipal police or the county sheriff's department in all other municipalities; and

    4. (4) The county road system — The sheriff of that county.

  3. (c) The responsible investigating office shall make the investigation with all possible promptness, and the investigating officer shall file the report with the Department of Arkansas State Police within five (5) days subsequent to the actual investigation.

  4. (d) In all traffic accidents involving motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, motorized bicycles, or any other two-wheeled or three-wheeled motor vehicle, all traffic accident reports filed with the Department of Arkansas State Police shall be supplemented with a motorcycle traffic accident report.


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