Rhode Island § 31-27-12 § 31-27-12. Service of notice — Summons.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 31-27-12 — § 31-27-12. Service of notice — Summons.

Rhode Island § 31-27-12

Title 31Motor and Other vehicles

Ch. 31-27Motor Vehicle Offenses

This text of Rhode Island § 31-27-12 (§ 31-27-12. Service of notice — Summons.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-12 (2026).

Text

§ 31-27-12. Service of notice — Summons.
(a) Any police officer observing the violation of any statute or ordinance relating to
            the operation, control, or maintenance of a motor vehicle or a violation of subparagraphs
            21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iii) and 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iv), shall at the time or place of the violation or, if it is not possible to halt the
            alleged offender, as soon as possible after observing the violation, issue a written
            notice, of a form and content provided for in § 31-27-12.1, signed by the police officer and constituting a summons to appear before the court
            having jurisdiction at a time and place designated in the notice.
         
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§ 31-27-12. Service of notice — Summons.

(a) Any police officer observing the violation of any statute or ordinance relating to the operation, control, or maintenance of a motor vehicle or a violation of subparagraphs 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iii) and 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iv), shall at the time or place of the violation or, if it is not possible to halt the alleged offender, as soon as possible after observing the violation, issue a written notice, of a form and content provided for in § 31-27-12.1, signed by the police officer and constituting a summons to appear before the court having jurisdiction at a time and place designated in the notice.

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall preclude a police officer from exercising in the alternative his or her statutory powers of arrest, nor shall anything contained in this chapter preclude the making of additional complaints against the alleged offender arising out of the violation of any statute or ordinance relating to the operation, control, or maintenance of a motor vehicle observed by the police officer. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent a person other than a police officer from applying for a criminal complaint for the violation of any statute or ordinance relating to the operation, control, or maintenance of a motor vehicle, and the person need not show that the alleged offender has been issued a summons in connection with the alleged violation.

Legislative History

P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 36, § 4; redesignated art. 36, § 3 by P.L. 1951, ch. 2826, § 20; G.L. 1956, § 31-27-12; P.L. 1959 (s. s.), ch. 190, § 7; P.L. 1970, ch. 66, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 221, § 3; P.L. 2012, ch. 233, § 3.