Effective: September 29, 2005
Latest Legislation: House Bill 66 - 126th General Assembly
(A) A board of county commissioners of any county containing fifty-five or more law enforcement agencies by resolution may elect to participate in a criminal justice regional information system, either by creating and maintaining a new criminal justice regional information system or by participating in an existing criminal justice regional information system.
(B) A county is not eligible to participate in any criminal justice regional information system unless it creates in its county treasury, pursuant to section 305.28 of the Revised Code, a criminal justice regional information fund.
(C) A county that elects to participate in a criminal justice regional information system shall obtain revenues to fund its participation by establishing an additional court cost not exceeding five dollars to be imposed for moving violations that occur in that county. The board of county commissioners of that county shall establish the amount of the additional court cost by resolution. The board shall give written notice to all courts located in that county that adjudicate or otherwise process moving violations that occur in that county of the county's election to participate in the system and of the amount of the additional court cost. Upon receipt of such notice, each recipient court shall impose that amount as an additional court cost for all moving violations the court adjudicates or otherwise processes, in accordance with divisions (D) and (E) of this section.
(D)(1) The court in which any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to any moving violation that occurs in a county that has elected to participate in a criminal justice regional information system shall impose the sum established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section as costs in the case in addition to any other court costs that the court is required by law to impose upon the offender. The court shall not waive the payment of the additional court cost established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section unless the court determines that the offender is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender.
All such money collected during a month shall be transmitted on the first business day of the following month by the clerk of the court to the county treasurer of the county in which the court is located and thereafter the county treasurer shall deposit the money in that county's criminal justice regional information fund.
(2) The juvenile court in which a child is found to be a juvenile traffic offender for an act that is a moving violation occurring in a county participating in a criminal justice regional information system shall impose the sum established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section as costs in the case in addition to any other court costs that the court is required by law to impose upon the juvenile traffic offender. The juvenile court shall not waive the payment of the additional court cost established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section unless the court determines that the juvenile is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender.
All such money collected during a month shall be transmitted on the first business day of the following month by the clerk of the court to the county treasurer of the county in which the juvenile court is located and thereafter the county treasurer shall deposit the money in that county's criminal justice regional information fund.
(E) Whenever a person is charged with any offense that is a moving violation and posts bail, the court shall add to the amount of the bail the set sum required to be paid by division (D)(1) of this section. The clerk of the court shall retain that set sum until the person is convicted, pleads guilty, forfeits bail, is found not guilty, or has the charges dismissed. If the person is convicted, pleads guilty, or forfeits bail, the clerk shall transmit the set sum to the county treasurer, who shall deposit it in the county criminal justice regional information fund. If the person is found not guilty or the charges are dismissed, the clerk shall return the set sum to the person.
(F) No person shall be placed or held in a detention facility as defined in section 2921.01 of the Revised Code for failing to pay the court cost or bail that is required to be paid by this section.
(G)(1) Except as provided in division (G)(2) of this section, all funds collected by a county under this section shall be used by that county only to pay the costs it incurs in creating and maintaining a new criminal justice regional information system or to pay the costs it incurs in participating in an existing criminal justice regional information system.
(2) If the board of county commissioners of a county determines that the funds in that county's criminal justice regional information fund are more than sufficient to satisfy the purpose for which the additional court cost described in division (C) of this section was imposed, the board may declare a surplus in the fund. The county may expend the surplus only to pay the costs it incurs in improving the law enforcement computer technology of local law enforcement agencies located in that county.
(H) As used in this section:
(1) "Moving violation" means any violation of any statute or ordinance, other than section 4513.263 of the Revised Code or an ordinance that is substantially equivalent to that section, that regulates the operation of vehicles, streetcars, or trackless trolleys on highways or streets or that regulates size or load limitations or fitness requirements of vehicles. "Moving violation" does not include the violation of any statute or ordinance that regulates pedestrians or the parking of vehicles.
(2) "Bail" means cash, a check, a money order, a credit card, or any other form of money that is posted by or for an offender pursuant to sections 2937.22 to 2937.46 of the Revised Code, Criminal Rule 46, or Traffic Rule 4 to prevent the offender from being placed or held in a detention facility, as defined in section 2921.01 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Criminal justice regional information system" means a governmental computer system that serves as a cooperative between political subdivisions in a particular region for the purpose of providing a consolidated computerized information system for criminal justice agencies in that region.