Rule 35. Obligations of Authorized Law Enforcement Agencies

(a) Mandatory eCitation. The issuance of eCitation summonses shall be mandatory for all authorized law enforcement agencies within one (1) year from the Effective Date set forth in Rule 36.

(b) Submission of eCitation Summons to the Traffic Tribunal. Every eCitation summons issued shall be submitted to the traffic tribunal on a daily basis. The authorized law enforcement agency shall also submit the eCitation to the respective municipal court.

(c) Mandatory Electronic Submission of the Summons. All other summonses issued from authorized law enforcement agencies shall be submitted electronically to the traffic tribunal on a daily basis. The authorized law enforcement agency shall also submit all other summonses to the respective municipal court.

(d) Language Assistance Notices. In an effort to provide language assistance to limited English proficient persons, service of the summons shall include the Language Assistance Notices which informs the recipient of the right to a foreign language interpreter at no cost and contains instructions about how to obtain language assistance services. The most current version of the Language Assistance Notices are located on the Judiciary's website at www.courts.ri.gov under the heading of Public Resources, Forms.

(e) Universal Summons. All authorized law enforcement agencies shall use the summons in Rule 3(a) to issue violations.

(f) Scheduling of the First Appearance. All authorized law enforcement agencies shall schedule the first appearance within the time frame prescribed by the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal.

(g) Refusal Packets. All refusal packets shall be delivered to the Traffic Tribunal no later than seven (7) days before the first appearance.