Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
15.247
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
15.247 requires the Attorney General to
promulgate administrative regulations establishing requirements for a program
for the protection of crime victims and witnesses and their immediate families.
This administrative regulation establishes the Victim and Witness Protection
Program.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "Council" means the Prosecutors Advisory
Council established by
KRS
15.705.
(2) "Law enforcement agency" means a lawfully
organized police unit or police force of county, city, or metropolitan
government, employing law enforcement officers as that term is defined in
KRS
15.310.
(3) "Program" means the Kentucky Victim and
Witness Protection Program.
(4)
"Prosecutor" means a:
(a) Commonwealth's
attorney or his or her authorized assistant; or
(b) County attorney or his or her authorized
assistant.
(5)
"Protective services" is defined by
KRS
15.247.
(6) "Victim or witness at risk of harm" means
a person who is:
(a)
1. A crime victim as defined in
KRS
421.500(1);
2. A crime witness expected to testify before
a grand jury, at a trial, or other judicial proceeding; or
3. A member of the immediate family of a
crime victim or crime witness;
(b) Cooperating with the law enforcement
agency providing the protective services and performing the investigation, and
the prosecutor of a criminal case;
(c) At substantial risk of imminent serious
physical injury; and
(d) Unable to
provide protective services to himself.
Section 2. Eligible Costs.
(1) Excluding distributions of advances
pursuant to Section 5 of this administrative regulation, program funding shall
be limited to the reimbursement of the costs of protective services provided to
a victim or witness at risk of harm.
(2) Reimbursement shall be limited to the
costs of protective services provided by a law enforcement agency to a victim
or witness at risk of harm for a maximum of 180 days in each criminal case.
Each day during which protective services are provided shall count as one (1)
day.
(3) Reimbursement shall be
limited to the costs for protective services that:
(a) Were paid by the law enforcement agency
with the funds of:
1. The law enforcement
agency;
2. A fiscal
court;
3. A city government;
or
4. Other fund sources available
to the law enforcement agency;
(b) Meet the requirements established by the
provisions of this administrative regulation; and
(c) Are not funded by appropriations or other
funds allocated to the law enforcement agency that provided the protective
services.
(4)
Reimbursement shall be limited to the costs of protective services that were
necessary and reasonable for the protection of a victim or witness at risk of
harm.
(5) The following costs of
protective services shall be deemed reasonable:
(a) The regular hourly wage and benefit rate,
or the regular overtime hourly wage and benefit rate if applicable, of the
employee of a law enforcement agency that provided protective services to a
victim or witness at risk of harm.
(b) Cost of lodging that:
1. Is the most economical lodging, at
government rates if available; and
2. Has been determined by the law enforcement
agency to be appropriate for the protection of the victim or witness at risk of
harm.
(c) Cost of meals
shall be reimbursed at the rates provided in
200 KAR
2:006.
(d)
Cost of the most economical personal hygiene products.
(e) Cost of emergency long distance phone
calls to family members or employers.
(f) Cost of clothing items that have been
determined by the law enforcement agency to be required for the protection of
the victim or witness at risk of harm.
(g) Cost of child care, at the most
economical rate, that has been determined by the law enforcement agency to be
appropriate for the protection of the victim or witness at risk of
harm.
(h) Cost of the temporary
emergency use of a cellular phone.
(i) Actual mileage at the rate designated on
the Office of the Controller's Web site listed in Section 1(6) in
200 KAR
2:006.
(j)
Cost of a rental vehicle at the most economical rate available.
(k) Cost of cab, bus, train, or air fare at
the most economical rate available that has been determined by the law
enforcement agency to be appropriate transportation for the protection of the
victim or witness at risk of harm.
(l) Cost of temporary storage of a vehicle at
the most economical rate available that has been determined by the law
enforcement agency to be appropriate for the protection of the victim or
witness at risk of harm.
(m) Cost
of the installation, rekeying, repair, or replacement of locks at a locksmith's
regular rate for government work.
(n) Cost of the installation of a temporary
alarm at an installer's regular rate for government work.
(6) The Attorney General shall approve the
reimbursement of the costs of protective services that are not specified in
subsection (5) of this section, if he has determined that under the
circumstances the costs were necessary and reasonable for the protection of a
victim or witness at risk of harm.
(7) Reimbursement shall be limited to the
most economical costs, at government rates if applicable, of protective
services that met the needs of the protective services.
(8) Reimbursement of the cost of protective
equipment shall be limited to the portion of its value allocated to use in the
protective services, if the equipment is retained by the victim or witness at
risk of harm.
(9) A law enforcement
agency providing protective services shall utilize an available existing
government service, if it determines that the service is appropriate for the
protection of the victim or witness at risk of harm.
(10) A law enforcement agency shall comply
with applicable state or local procurement requirements.
Section 3. Law Enforcement Agency's
Application for Reimbursement.
(1) A law
enforcement agency seeking reimbursement of the costs of protective services
provided to a victim or witness at risk of harm shall submit an application for
reimbursement to a prosecutor who has jurisdiction over the crime.
(2) An application for reimbursement shall be
made on the "Kentucky Victim and Witness Protection Program Application for
Reimbursement" form.
Section
4. Prosecutor's Application for Reimbursement.
(1) A prosecutor shall review an application
for reimbursement submitted by a law enforcement agency and determine whether
he will submit the application to the Attorney General.
(2) If the prosecutor determines to submit
the application for reimbursement to the Attorney General, he shall sign a
statement that he recommends reimbursement of all or part of the costs of the
protective services.
(3) An
application for reimbursement submitted from a prosecutor to the Attorney
General shall be transmitted by the Attorney General to the council for review
and recommendations.
(4) The
council shall review and consider an application for reimbursement at a regular
meeting, or at a special meeting called for the purpose of reviewing
applications for reimbursement.
(5)
The council shall consider applications in the order received.
(6) The council shall recommend that:
(a) All or part of an application for
reimbursement be approved; or
(b)
An application for reimbursement be denied.
(7) The council shall base its recommendation
on the requirements established by the provisions of this administrative
regulation.
(8) The council shall
submit its recommendation to the Attorney General.
(9) The Attorney General shall review the
recommendation of the council and determine whether to:
(a) Approve all or part of an application for
reimbursement; or
(b) Deny an
application for reimbursement.
(10) If the Attorney General approves all or
part of an application for reimbursement, the law enforcement agency that
provided the protective services shall be reimbursed from program funds in the
amount approved by the Attorney General.
(11) An application for reimbursement of the
costs of protective services may be submitted at any time, after the protective
services were provided, during the state fiscal year in which the services were
provided.
Section 5.
Application for Advance of Funds.
(1) A law
enforcement agency requesting an advance of program funds shall submit an
application for an advance of program funds to a prosecutor who has
jurisdiction over the crime.
(2) An
advance of program funds shall be limited to a maximum of $500 for each
application for an advance of program funds.
(3) An advance of program funds shall be
limited to the payment of the costs of protective services that:
(a) Have been provided by the law enforcement
agency to a victim or witness at risk of harm; and
(b) Cannot be paid with other funds available
to the law enforcement agency.
(4) An application for an advance of Program
funds shall be made on a "Kentucky Victim and Witness Protection Program
Application for Advance of Program Funds" form.
(5) The prosecutor shall review an
application for an advance of program funds submitted by a law enforcement
agency and determine whether he will submit the application to the Attorney
General.
(6) If the prosecutor
determines to submit the application for an advance of program funds to the
Attorney General, he shall:
(a) Sign a
statement that he recommends all or part of the advance; and
(b) Submit the application for an advance of
program funds to the Attorney General.
(7) The Attorney General shall distribute an
advance of program funds to a law enforcement agency if he determines that an
application complies with the provisions of this section.
(8) The advance of program funds shall be
limited to the amount recommended by the prosecutor.
(9) The advance of program funds shall be
made payable to the:
(a) Law enforcement
agency;
(b) Head of the law
enforcement agency; or
(c)
Authorized agent of the head of the law enforcement agency.
(10) The law enforcement agency
shall report an expenditure of an advance of program funds on its application
for reimbursement specified in Section 3 of this administrative
regulation.
(11) The law
enforcement agency shall:
(a) Report an
unexpended advance of program funds on its application for reimbursement to the
prosecutor; and
(b) Return the
unexpended advance of program funds with its application for reimbursement to
the prosecutor.
(12) The
law enforcement agency shall repay the Attorney General the amount of an
advance of program funds that it has expended, if the application for
reimbursement of the costs of protective services for which the advance was
made is denied.
(13) A law
enforcement agency shall not submit an application for an advance of program
funds for the costs of protective services for a victim or witness at risk of
harm if it has:
(a) Submitted an application
for an advance of program funds for the costs of protective services for that
victim or witness at risk of harm;
(b) Received an advance of Program funds;
and
(c) Not submitted an
application for reimbursement of the costs of the protective services provided
with the advance of the program funds.
Section 6. Notice of Estimated Costs.
(1) If a law enforcement agency begins
providing protective services for which it intends to submit an application for
reimbursement to a prosecutor, it shall notify the prosecutor and Attorney
General, within three (3) business days, on a "Kentucky Victim and Witness
Protection Program Notice of Estimated Costs" form, of the estimated costs and
time period of the protective services it expects to include on the
application.
(2) If a law
enforcement agency determines that the cost of the protective services it
expects to include on an application for reimbursement will be greater than the
estimated costs previously reported, it shall immediately submit an updated
notice of estimated costs to the prosecutor and Attorney General.
(3) If the Attorney General determines that
the total of the estimated costs received by the Attorney General pursuant to
subsection (1) of this section exceeds the available program funding, he shall
notify the law enforcement agencies that have submitted a notice of estimated
costs, and law enforcement agencies that submit a notice of estimated costs
thereafter, that program funding may become obligated before the review of all
law enforcement agency applications for reimbursement are completed
Section 7. Material Incorporated
by Reference.
(1) The following material is
incorporated by reference:
(a) "Kentucky
Victim and Witness Protection Program Application for Reimbursement OAG Form
VWPP-03 (08/21)";
(b) "Kentucky
Victim and Witness Protection Program Notice of Estimated Costs OAG Form
VWPP-02 (08/21)"; and
(c)
"Kentucky Victim and Witness Protection Program Application for Advance of
Program Funds OAG Form VWPP-03 (08/21)".
(2) This material may be inspected, copied,
or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Office of the Attorney
General, 1024 Capital Center Drive, Frankfort Kentucky 40601, Monday through
Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or at ag.ky.gov.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
15.247