SF4235

Purpose

This bill aims to prevent public confusion and potential crime by ensuring that vehicles that are publicly associated with emergency response are not sold to the general public without removing identifying features. It sets rules for when a public safety vehicle can be sold or transferred and creates a process to verify that those features have been removed.

Main Provisions

• Definition: A “public safety vehicle” has the same meaning as an “authorized emergency vehicle” in Minnesota law.
• Prohibition: A person may not sell or transfer a public safety vehicle to the public unless all equipment or insignia that could make people think the vehicle is a public safety vehicle are removed. This includes emergency lights, sirens, amber warning lights, spotlights, grill lights, antennas, emblems, or any outline of an emblem or emergency vehicle equipment.
• Certificate of compliance: Before a sale or transfer, the seller or public safety agency must give the transferee a certificate confirming that all identifying public safety markings have been removed. The state public safety department must provide a standard certificate form, available to the public on its website.
• Violations and penalties: If a public safety vehicle is sold or transferred with the identifying features still in place, the seller is liable for damages caused by its use in a crime and faces a civil penalty of $2,500. Civil penalties go to the Minnesota Victims of Crime account.
• Enforcement: The Attorney General may sue to recover the civil penalty.
• Exemption for collectors: Sales or transfers to the public for display or collection are allowed if the vehicle is owned and used only as a collector’s item and is properly registered as a collector vehicle under specified registration rules.

What This Changes in Law

• Creates a new requirement (certificate of compliance) and a new prohibition on selling public safety vehicles with identifying equipment.
• Establishes a monetary penalty and a litigation option for enforcement.
• Adds an exemption path for vehicles kept as collectors’ items, with conditions to prevent everyday public use.
• Sets up a formal process and a standard form to document compliance.

Implementation Details

• A standard certificate form will be designed by the Commissioner of Public Safety and made publicly available online.
• The penalties and enforcement provisions are funded through existing appropriations and involve the Attorney General and the Minnesota Victims of Crime account.

Potential Impacts

• Reduces the risk that someone buys a former public safety vehicle and uses it in a crime or misleads the public into thinking it is still a current emergency vehicle.
• Clarifies responsibilities for buyers, sellers, and public safety agencies during the sale or transfer process.
• Encourages proper handling of collector vehicles while preserving use-related exemptions.

Key Terms (for quick reference)

• public safety vehicle
• authorized emergency vehicle
• certificate of compliance
• mislead
• emergency light
• siren
• amber warning light
• spotlight
• grill light
• antenna
• emblem
• outline of an emblem
• civil penalty
• damages proximately caused by the use
• Minnesota Victims of Crime account
• attorney general
• collector's item / collectors item
• Minnesota Statutes chapter 169
• 168.10 subdivisions (collection/registration reference)

Relevant Terms public safety vehicle; authorized emergency vehicle; certificate of compliance; mislead; emergency light; siren; amber warning light; spotlight; grill light; antenna; emblem; outline of an emblem; civil penalty; damages proximately caused by the use; Minnesota Victims of Crime account; attorney general; collector's item; collectors item; Minnesota Statutes chapter 169; 168.10 subdivisions; sale; transfer; exemption