Criminal Justice (Policing)

Prohibits handcuffing children twelve (12) or under at initial police contact unless needed for public safety or if the child is using or threatening physical force against an officer.

SB 2303 amends Rhode Island's 2015 Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act to require all state and municipal police departments to collect detailed data on every routine traffic stop and vehicle search, including the officer's perception of the driver's race/ethnicity, reason for the stop, and outcome (e.g., citation, arrest, or search). This data must be submitted monthly to the Department of Transportation's Office of Highway Safety for a 48-month period starting in 2027. An independent outside agency chosen by the Department will then conduct an annual statistical study analyzing the data for racial disparities in policing, with findings and quarterly summary reports made public. The bill also mandates police agencies to review data monthly for compliance and annually to address any identified disparities.

Bars police from wearing masks or disguises when interacting with the public, require visible ID, allow limited safety and undercover exceptions, and impose criminal penalties and civil liability for violations.

Requires superior court clerk to automatically seal cases/individual counts of a criminal complaint/indictment that were dismissed, upon request of defendant and serve it upon bureau of criminal identification, police department and counsel of record.