§ 12-5.1-8. Maintenance and custody of records. (a) The contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication intercepted by any means authorized by this chapter shall, if practicable, be recorded on tape or wire or other comparable device. The recording of the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication under this section shall be done in such a way as will protect the recording from editing or other alterations. Immediately upon the expiration of the period of the order, or extensions of the order, the recordings shall be made available to the presiding justice of the superior court issuing the order and sealed under his or her directions. Custody of the recordings shall be wherever the presiding justice of the superior court orders. They shall not be destroyed except upon an order of the presiding justice of the superior court, and in any event, shall be kept for ten (10) years. Duplicate recordings may be made for use or disclosure pursuant to the provisions of § 12-5.1-10(a) or (b) for investigations and bail hearings and any pre-trial hearings. The presence of the seal provided for by this section, or a satisfactory explanation for its absence, shall be a prerequisite for the use or disclosure of the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication or evidence derived from them at any bail hearing or pre-trial hearing.

(b) Applications made and orders granted under this chapter shall be sealed by the presiding justice of the superior court. Custody of the applications and orders shall be wherever the presiding justice of the superior court directs. The applications and orders shall be disclosed only upon a showing of good cause before the presiding justice of the superior court and shall not be destroyed except on order of the presiding justice of the superior court, and in any event shall be kept for ten (10) years.

(c) Any violation of the provisions of this section may be punished as contempt of the presiding justice of the superior court.

History of Section. (P.L. 1969, ch. 55, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 282, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 167, § 2.)