13-1210

13-1210. Assaults on public safety employees
or volunteers and state hospital employees; disease testing;
petition; hearing; notice; definitions

A. A public safety employee or volunteer or the employing agency, officer or entity
may petition the court for an order authorizing testing of another person for the human
immunodeficiency virus, common blood borne diseases or other diseases specified in the
petition if there are reasonable grounds to believe an exposure occurred and either of
the following applies:

1. The person is charged in any criminal complaint and the complaint alleges that
the person interfered with the official duties of the public safety employee or volunteer
by biting, scratching, spitting or transferring blood or other bodily fluids on or
through the skin or membranes of the public safety employee or volunteer.

2. There is probable cause to believe that the person interfered with the official
duties of the public safety employee or volunteer by biting, scratching, spitting or
transferring blood or other bodily fluids on or through the skin or membranes of the
public safety employee or volunteer and that the person is deceased.

B. An employee of the Arizona state hospital or the employing agency may petition
the court for an order authorizing testing of another person for the human
immunodeficiency virus, common blood borne diseases or other diseases specified in the
petition if there are reasonable grounds to believe an exposure occurred and the person
is a patient who is confined to the Arizona state hospital and who is alleged to have
interfered with the official duties of the Arizona state hospital employee by biting,
scratching, spitting or transferring blood or other bodily fluids on or through the skin
or membranes of the Arizona state hospital employee.

C. The court shall hear the petition promptly. If the court finds that probable
cause exists to believe that a possible transfer of blood or other bodily fluids occurred
between the person and the public safety employee or volunteer or the Arizona state
hospital employee, the court shall order that either:

1. The person provide two specimens of blood for testing.

2. If the person is deceased, the medical examiner draw two specimens of blood for
testing.

D. Notwithstanding subsection C, paragraph 2 of this section, on written notice
from the agency, officer or entity employing the public safety employee or volunteer, the
medical examiner is authorized to draw two specimens of blood for testing during the
autopsy or other examination of the deceased person's body. The medical examiner shall
release the specimen to the employing agency, officer or entity for testing only after
the court issues its order pursuant to subsection C, paragraph 2 of this section. If the
court does not issue an order within thirty days after the medical examiner collects the
specimen, the medical examiner shall destroy the specimen.

E. Notice of the test results shall be provided as prescribed by the department of
health services to the person tested, to the public safety employee or volunteer or the
Arizona state hospital employee named in the petition and to the employee's or
volunteer's employing agency, officer or entity and, if the person tested is incarcerated
or detained, to the officer in charge and the chief medical officer of the facility in
which the person is incarcerated or detained.

F. Section 36-665 does not apply to this section.

G. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Arizona state hospital" includes the Arizona community protection and treatment
center.

2. "Arizona state hospital employee" means an employee of the Arizona state
hospital who has direct patient contact.

3. "Private prison security officer" means a security officer who is employed by a
private contractor that contracts with a governmental entity to provide detention or
incarceration facility services for offenders.

4. "Public safety employee or volunteer" means a law enforcement officer, any
employee or volunteer of a state or local law enforcement agency, a probation officer, a
surveillance officer, an adult or juvenile correctional service officer, a detention
officer, a private prison security officer, a firefighter or an emergency medical
technician.