§ 4-111

Manufacturer's vehicle incident hotline; law enforcement verification; manufacturer statements. (a) Unless the manufacturer or its vehicle location vendor operates an existing vehicle location service line, a manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall maintain a telephone number that is staffed and available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies and their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist law enforcement with locating vehicles in the investigation of vehicles stolen in vehicular hijacking incidents or that have been used in the commission of a kidnapping. The hotline for the manufacturer or the manufacturer's vehicle location vendor shall relay vehicle location information, including real-time vehicle location information whenever reasonably possible, to the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center or sworn law enforcement personnel for any of the responding law enforcement agencies, to the best of the manufacturer's or vehicle location vendor's technical capability when: (1) a warrant or other court order has been issued relating to the vehicle's location information and provided to the manufacturer or the vehicle location vendor; or (2) the vehicle owner lawfully consents to the vehicle location information being shared with the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center and responding law enforcement officials; or (3) the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center or responding law enforcement officials: (A) provides adequate verification to the manufacturer or the vehicle location vendor, of their identity as law enforcement and the identity of the responding law enforcement official; and (B) the responding law enforcement officials shall certify to the manufacturer or the vehicle location vendor, that the situation involves a clear and present danger of death or great bodily harm to persons resulting from the vehicular hijacking or kidnapping incident. (b) State, county, and local law enforcement agencies shall use their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers for the purpose of verification of law enforcement officers' identities and bona fide incident report numbers related to incidents. (c) If a vehicle is equipped with functioning vehicle location tracking capability, but the capability is not currently activated, the manufacturer or the vehicle location vendor shall waive all fees associated with initiating, renewing, reestablishing, or maintaining the vehicle location service the vehicle is equipped with during the investigation of the vehicle being stolen in a vehicular hijacking incident or being used in the commission of kidnapping incident when law enforcement has confirmed that the situation involves a clear and present danger of death or great bodily harm to persons as described in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) and requires disclosure of vehicle location information without delay. (d) A vehicle manufacturer or a subsidiary, vendor, employee, officer, director, representative, or contractor of the vehicle manufacturer shall not be liable and no cause of action shall arise under the laws of this State for providing, or in good faith attempting to provide, information or assistance to a law enforcement agency, 9-1-1 call center, or designated dispatch center pursuant to the mechanisms and processes established under this Section.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 103-300, eff. 1-1-24 .)