Bill > HB2606

This bill mandates the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to create a dedicated "cold case division" to re-examine unsolved missing person and homicide cases, which will be organized into three regional sections, each overseen by a director and at least five detectives specializing in these types of investigations. Local law enforcement agencies will be required to transfer any unsolved missing person or homicide cases that have remained unresolved for ten years to this new TBI division. Additionally, the bill allows family members of victims to request a review of their unresolved cases under specific circumstances, such as when the local agency lacks a dedicated unit for such investigations, the incident occurred in a small municipality, or the case has been open for at least a decade. In certain situations, families who have waited ten years for resolution may also be granted controlled access to view case files, provided they meet specific criteria like having no criminal convictions and not being a suspect in the case, though they will be prohibited from making copies or recordings. The bill also permits private investigators hired by families to collaborate with local law enforcement on these cold cases.