Donna G. Nelson Oregon House of Representatives District 24 900 Court St NE Room H-279 Salem, Oregon 97301

Contact: David Gulliver Phone: 503-986-1424 Fax: 503-986-1934

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 9, 2007

Representative Nelson Receives Important Support for Dalton’s Law

 

SALEM – Oregon State Representative Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville) has received important support for Dalton’s Law, a bill that would allow law enforcement personnel to receive information from companies such as LoJack and On-Star during investigations.  House Bill 3176 was written in response to the tragic death of Dalton Robertson, a friend of Representative Nelson’s family, in 2005.

 

Dalton disappeared in his brand new car, equipped with a LoJack security device.  Even though police were conducting a missing person investigation, LoJack was unable to provide the vehicle’s location, due to company policy regarding customer privacy.  Tragically, Dalton was found dead five days later; the coroner’s report showed Dalton died the day he was found.  Had police been able to quickly pinpoint the location of the automobile, Dalton’s life could have been saved.

 

This morning, Dalton’s Law received the endorsement of John Walsh, host of television’s America’s Most Wanted.  Walsh believes that “Dalton’s Law will aid law enforcement and help save lives because vehicle location devices in use now can and should be used when law enforcement has an urgent need to do so.”

 

Dalton’s Law could give vital aid to the investigation of child abductions.  Ernie Allen, the President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that “time is the enemy in child abduction cases.”  According to Allen, “seventy percent of attempted abductions involve a suspect driving a vehicle.”  With more and more vehicles being equipped with services such a LoJack and On-Star, there is an ever growing chance that the vehicle used for abduction could be rapidly found.  “We support law enforcement’s ability to quickly receive information which they deem vital to locating a missing child,” Allen stated.

 

Oregon’s law enforcement community has expressed a strong interest in House Bill 3176.  Both the Oregon State Police Officers Association and the Oregon State Sheriffs Association have endorsed Dalton’s Law as an important investigative tool.  John Trumbo, Sheriff of Umatilla County, said House Bill 3176 “gives law enforcement another tool to use to help combat crime, and in a worst case scenario perhaps save the life of an innocent citizen; the best part is, it will be a free service to state and local law enforcement agencies.”

 

Dalton’s Law is a common-sense measure for Oregon and has received bipartisan support in the legislature.  As John Walsh states, “Oregon House Bill 3176 saves time, saves the resources of law enforcement, and saves lives, and I support Dalton’s Law.”

 

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