Findings; purpose

The legislature finds that persons who commit offenses involving arson, even after being released from incarceration or commitment, are of paramount governmental interest. The legislature further finds that local law enforcement officers' efforts to protect their communities, conduct investigations, and quickly apprehend persons who commit offenses involving arson are impaired by the lack of information available to law enforcement agencies about persons convicted of offenses involving arson, who live within the agencies' jurisdiction, and the penal and mental health components of our justice system are largely hidden from public view and that lack of information from either may result in failure of both systems to meet this paramount concern of public safety. Release of information about persons who commit offenses involving arson to public agencies will further the governmental interests of public safety and public scrutiny of the criminal and mental health systems so long as the information released is rationally related to the furtherance of those goals. Therefore, this state's policy is to assist local law enforcement agencies' efforts to protect their communities by requiring persons who commit offenses involving arson to register with the state fire marshal and to require the exchange of relevant information about persons who commit offenses involving arson among state, local, and federal public agencies and officials.