§ 42-9-8.1. Office of investigation — Powers and duties of investigators.
(1) Establishment. There is hereby established within the department of attorney general an office of
investigation.
(2) Scope and purpose. The scope and purpose of the office of investigation shall be:
(a) To assist special assistant and assistant attorneys general in carrying out investigations
relating to grand jury investigations, pre-trial preparation, and other litigation
efforts;
(b) To coordinate their efforts in investigating criminal activity with existing federal,
state, and local law enforcement resources; and
(c) To initiate criminal investigations for violations of the law at the direction of
the attorney general.
(3) Composition and powers. The office of investigation shall consist of a chief, field investigators, all of
whom shall be designated by the attorney general, and support personnel. The chief
and the field investigators shall have the following powers:
(a) The power to arrest independently or in conjunction with local, state, or federal
law enforcement agencies;
(b) The power to, with the written authorization by the attorney general or the attorney
general's designated deputy, apply for and execute search warrants; and
(c) The power to serve civil and criminal process.
(4) Qualifications. No person shall be appointed as chief of the office of investigation or as a field
investigator in the office unless the person has successfully completed the basic
course of instruction for police officers at the Providence police training academy,
the Rhode Island municipal police training academy, or the Rhode Island state police
training academy, and has at least three (3) years of active law enforcement experience,
or has served as a member of the United States Marshals Service or as a special agent
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a criminal law enforcement agency of the United
States Department of Justice, the United States Department of State, the United States
Department of the Treasury, or the United States Postal Inspection Service and has
at least three (3) years of active law enforcement experience, or has been certified
as a police officer by the duly-constituted state commission on police officer standards
and training of another state, and has at least three (3) years of active law enforcement
experience.
(5) Appointment background check. The attorney general shall appoint the chief, field investigators, and the support
personnel of the office of investigation. Prior to the appointment of any individuals,
a background examination shall be conducted utilizing federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies, bureau of criminal identification, national crime information
center, and any and all relevant records existing within the federal and state court
systems.
(6) Standards. The office shall adopt and implement such standards as may be applicable to its scope
and purpose as promulgated by the commission for the accreditation of law enforcement
agencies.