§ 31-2.1-1. Motor vehicle theft prevention program - Informed consent statement of owner - Issuance of vehicle decals - Authority to request production of valid driver's license and registration. The administrator of the division of motor vehicles, department of administration, in consultation with the superintendent of state police, shall establish a motor vehicle theft prevention program which shall include the issuance of official decals to identify motor vehicles that are not normally operated between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. Participation in the program shall be voluntary in nature and shall involve the following:

(a) In the presence of a duly authorized police officer in any municipality participating in the program, the registered owner of a motor vehicle shall sign an informed consent statement indicating that the motor vehicle registered to the owner is not normally operated between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. The form of an informed consent statement shall be promulgated by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.

(b)(i) Upon signing an informed consent statement, the registered owner shall be issued a decal approved by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles and the decal shall be affixed to the owner's vehicle in a conspicuous place as prescribed by the administrator. The decal shall be issued and affixed by the police officer in the municipality participating in the program.

(ii) The police officer issuing the decal shall make a record of the decal number issued to each registered owner. These records shall be maintained by the police department of any city or town participating in the program and shall be available to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, to the superintendent of state police, and to local law enforcement agencies.

(c) Informed consent statement forms shall be available at all division of motor vehicles offices, state police headquarters, and city and town police departments.

(d) Whenever any police officer sees a motor vehicle displaying a decal issued pursuant to the provisions of this section operated on any public highway in the state between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M., the officer is authorized to request the driver to produce a valid driver's license and motor vehicle registration. Whenever the operator of the motor vehicle during such hours is unable to produce a driver's license and registration, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person operating the vehicle is not the registered owner and does not have the authorization of the owner to operate the vehicle.

History of Section. (P.L. 1990, ch. 318, § 1.)