8594.15. (a) For the purposes of this section, “Yellow Alert” means a notification system, activated pursuant to subdivision (b), designed to issue and coordinate alerts with respect to a hit-and-run incident resulting in the death of a person as described in Section 20001 of the Vehicle Code.
(b) (1) If a hit-and-run incident is reported to a law enforcement agency, and that agency determines that the requirements of subdivision (c) are met, the agency may request the Department of the California Highway Patrol to activate a Yellow Alert. If the Department of the California Highway Patrol concurs that the requirements of subdivision (c) are met, it may activate a Yellow Alert within the geographic area requested by the investigating law enforcement agency.
(2) Radio, television, and cable and satellite systems are encouraged, but are not required, to cooperate with disseminating the information contained in a Yellow Alert.
(3) Upon activation of a Yellow Alert, the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall assist the investigating law enforcement agency by issuing the Yellow Alert via a changeable message sign.
(4) If there are multiple Yellow Alerts requested, the Department of the California Highway Patrol may prioritize the activation of alerts based on any factor, including, but not limited to, the time elapsed between a hit-and-run incident and the request or the likelihood that an activation would reasonably lead to the apprehension of a suspect.
(c) A law enforcement agency may request that a Yellow Alert be activated if that agency determines that all of the following conditions are met in regard to the investigation of the hit-and-run incident:
(1) A person has been killed due to a hit-and-run incident.
(2) There is an indication that a suspect has fled the scene utilizing the state highway system or is likely to be observed by the public on the state highway system.
(3) The investigating law enforcement agency has additional information concerning the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(A) The complete license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.
(B) A partial license plate number and additional unique identifying characteristics, such as the make, model, and color of the suspect’s vehicle, which could reasonably lead to the apprehension of a suspect.
(C) The identity of a suspect.
(4) Public dissemination of available information could either help avert further harm or accelerate apprehension of a suspect based on any factor, including, but not limited to, the time elapsed between a hit-and-run incident and the request or the likelihood that an activation would reasonably lead to the apprehension of a suspect.
(d) The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall track the number of Yellow Alert requests it receives from law enforcement agencies.
(e) The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall create a report that includes an evaluation of the efficacy, the advantages, and the disadvantages of the Yellow Alert System. The department shall submit the report to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 no later than January 1, 2026.
(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 107, Sec. 1. (AB 1732) Effective January 1, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)