West Virginia Code § 15-2-24

Criminal Identification Bureau; establishment; supervision; purpose;
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fingerprints, photographs, records and other information; reports by courts and
prosecuting attorneys; offenses and penalties.
(a) The superintendent of the department shall establish, equip and maintain at the
departmental headquarters a Criminal Identification Bureau, for the purpose of receiving
and filing fingerprints, photographs, records and other information pertainieng to the
investigation of crime and the apprehension of criminals, as hereinafter provided. The
superintendent shall appoint or designate a supervisor to be in charge rof the Criminal
Identification Bureau and such supervisor shall be responsible to the superintendent for the
affairs of the bureau. Members of the department assigned to the Criminal Identification
Bureau shall carry out their duties and assignments in accordance with internal
management rules and regulations pertaining thereto promutlgated by the superintendent.
(b) The Criminal Identification Bureau shall cooperate with identification bureaus of other
states and of the United States to develop and carry on a complete interstate, national and
international system of criminal identification.
(c) The Criminal Identification Bureau may furnish fingerprints, photographs, records or
other information to authorized law-enforcement and governmental agencies of the United
States and its territories, of foreign gcountries duly authorized to receive the same, of other
states within the United States and of the State of West Virginia upon proper request stating
that the fingerprints, photograephs, records or other information requested are necessary in
the interest of and will be used solely in the administration of official duties and the criminal
laws. L
(d) The Criminal Identification Bureau may furnish, with the approval of the superintendent,
fingerprints, photographs, records or other information to any private or public agency,
person, firm, association, corporation or other organization, other than a law-enforcement or
governmental agency as to which the provisions of subsection (c) of this section shall govern
andW control, but all requests under the provisions of this subsection for such fingerprints,
photographs, records or other information must be accompanied by a written authorization
signed and acknowledged by the person whose fingerprints, photographs, records or other
information is to be released.
(e) The Criminal Identification Bureau may furnish fingerprints, photographs, records and
other information of persons arrested or sought to be arrested in this state to the
identification bureau of the United States government and to other states for the purpose of
aiding law enforcement.
(f) Persons in charge of any penal or correctional institution, including any city or county jail
in this state, shall take, or cause to be taken, the fingerprints and description of all persons
lawfully committed thereto or confined therein and furnish the same in duplicate to the
Criminal Identification Bureau, Department of Public Safety. Such fingerprints shall be taken
on forms approved by the superintendent of the Department of Public Safety. All such
officials as herein named may, when possible to do so, furnish photographs to the Criminal
Identification Bureau of such persons so fingerprinted.
(g) Members of the Department of Public Safety, and all other state law-enforcement
officials, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs and each and every peace officer in this state, shall take or
cause to be taken the fingerprints and description of all persons arrested or detained by
them, charged with any crime or offense in this state, in which the penalty perovided therefor
is confinement in any penal or correctional institution, or of any person who they have
reason to believe is a fugitive from justice or a habitual criminal, and furrnish the same in
duplicate to the Criminal Identification Bureau of the Department of Public Safety on forms
approved by the superintendent of said department. All such officials as herein named may,
when possible to do so, furnish to the Criminal Identification Bureau photographs of such
persons so fingerprinted. For the purpose of obtaining data tfor the preparation and
submission to the Governor and the Legislature by the Department of Public Safety of an
annual statistical report on crime conditions in the state, the clerk of any court of record, the
magistrate of any magistrate court and the mayor or clerk of any municipal court before
which a person appears on any criminal charge shall report to the Criminal Identification
Bureau the sentence of the court or other disposition of the charge and the prosecuting
attorney of every county shall report to the Criminal Identification Bureau such additional
information as the bureau may require for such purpose, and all such reports shall be on
forms prepared and distributed by the Department of Public Safety, shall be submitted
monthly and shall cover the period of the preceding month.
(h) All persons arrested or detained pursuant to the requirements of this article shall give
fingerprints and informaLtion required by subsections (f) and (g) of this section. Any person
who has been fingerprinted or photographed in accordance with the provisions of this
section who is acquit ted of the charges upon which he or she was arrested and who has no
previous criminal record may, upon the presentation of satisfactory proof to the department,
have such fingerprints or photographs, or both, returned to them.
(i) AWll state, county and municipal law-enforcement agencies shall submit to the bureau
uniform crime reports setting forth their activities in connection with law enforcement. It
shall be the duty of the bureau to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations prescribing
the form, general content, time and manner of submission of such uniform crime reports.
Willful or repeated failure by any state, county or municipal law-enforcement official to
submit the uniform crime reports required by this article shall constitute neglect of duty in
public office. The bureau shall correlate the reports submitted to it and shall compile and
submit to the Governor and the Legislature semiannual reports based on such reports. A
copy of such reports shall be furnished to all prosecuting attorneys and law-enforcement
agencies.
(j) Neglect or refusal of any person mentioned in this section to make the report required
herein, or to do or perform any act on his or her part to be done or performed in connection
with the operation of this section, shall constitute a misdemeanor and such person shall,
upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $200, or
by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than sixty days, or both. Such
neglect shall constitute misfeasance in office and subject such persons to removal from
office. Any person who willfully removes, destroys or mutilates any of the fingerprints,
photographs, records or other information of the Department of Public Safety shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor and such person shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of
not more than $100, or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than six
months, or both. e
(k) The Criminal Identification Bureau (CIB) and the Federal Bureau ofr Investigation (FBI)
shall retain applicant fingerprints for the purpose of participating in the Rap Back Program
to determine suitability or fitness for a permit, license or employment. Agencies
participating in the program shall notify applicants and employees subject to a criminal
history check that their fingerprint shall be retained by the CtIB and the FBI. Notification
shall also be given to the applicant and employee subject to the Rap Back Program.
(l) The State Police may assess a fee to applicants, covered providers or covered contractors
for conducting the criminal background check and for collecting and retaining fingerprints
for Rap Back as authorized under article fortys-nine, chapter sixteen of this code. The
assessment shall be deposited into a nonappropriated special revenue account within the
State Treasurer's office to be known as the WVSP Criminal History Account. Expenditures
from this account shall be made by tghe superintendent for purposes set forth in this article
and are authorized from collections. The account shall be administered by the
superintendent and may not bee deemed a part of the general revenue of the state.

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