S 2599Criminal Procedure

Criminal Procedure - Railroad, Steamboat, and Bridge Police

This bill keeps police reports about railroad fatalities confidential, limiting access to specific railroad companies and law enforcement officials.

Introduced36 Yea1 Nay1 Not voting

Population
Affected

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Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends state law regarding railroad police to establish privacy protections for railway employees. It mandates that police reports and communications involving a railroad fatality and the railroad crew members involved must remain confidential and not be made public. Exceptions are made for the host railroad, the employer of the involved crew, law enforcement, the attorney general, and individuals with a judicial order. Violating this confidentiality is a criminal offense punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

For younger readers

This rule helps protect train workers if there is a very bad accident where someone dies. If the police write a report about the accident or talk to the train workers, those papers and words stay private. Regular people and news reporters cannot see them. Only the train companies, police, and judges are allowed to look at the reports to do their jobs. If someone breaks this rule and shows the secrets to others, they can get in trouble, have to pay money, or go to jail.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Railroad employeesRailroad companiesPolice departmentsJournalistsFamilies of accident victims

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Moderate risk

There is a moderate constitutional risk regarding the First Amendment and freedom of the press. By criminalizing the release of information that is typically considered a public record (accident reports), the state restricts information flow. If the penalty is interpreted to apply to third parties (like journalists) who publish leaked information, it would likely be unconstitutional. However, if applied strictly to government custodians as a regulation of internal records, it is likely constitutional.

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Protects the mental health and privacy of workers who have experienced the trauma of a fatal workplace accident, shielding them from unnecessary public scrutiny.
Prevents the potential doxxing or harassment of railway employees by the public or media immediately following a tragic event.
Ensures that sensitive investigations remain professional and focused on safety rather than becoming sensationalized media spectacles.
Reduces transparency regarding public safety incidents, potentially making it harder for the public to identify systemic negligence by railroad corporations.
Limits the ability of journalists and watchdogs to access information necessary to hold law enforcement and corporations accountable for fatalities.
Creates a special tier of privacy rights for a specific industry workforce that is not available to the general public involved in other types of fatal accidents.

For Conservatives

Protects private citizens employed by private companies from government-facilitated intrusion into their lives during sensitive investigations.
Establishes strict penalties for the mishandling of sensitive information, promoting discipline and adherence to the rule of law within police departments.
Prevents a "trial by public opinion" against railroad employees before official legal and safety investigations can conclude.
Imposes harsh criminal penalties, including potential jail time, for the dissemination of information, which could be viewed as government overreach.
Interferes with the free market of information and the ability of communities to assess the safety of commercial operations in their towns.
Creates bureaucratic hurdles and secrecy surrounding events that occur in public spaces, limiting public oversight of government operations.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 17 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 12-2 of the General Laws entitled "Railroad, Steamboat, and Bridge Police" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 12-2-9. Privacy protections for railway employees.

(a) Any police report involving a railroad fatality and all communications between police officers and railroad crew members involved in such fatality, shall not be made public and shall be maintained by the police department that responds to such fatality, in a manner that shall ensure confidentiality; provided, however, that all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request, to:

(1) The host railroad;

(2) The railroad of employ of any employee mentioned in such reports; and

(3) Any other person authorized by judicial order to obtain such information, if access to such report is necessary in the performance of their duties; and provided, further, that all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written or electronic mail request to law enforcement officers, or the office of attorney general.

(b) Communications between police officers and railroad employees concerning any railroad fatality incident may be shared with any person listed in subsection (a) of this section, if such access is necessary to the performance of their duties.

(c) A violation of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.