SB241 Alabama 2025 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Lance BellSenator
Republican
Session: 2025 Regular Session
Title: Crimes and offenses, establishment, development, management, and maintenance of Alabama Criminal Enterprise Database provided for
Summary: SB241 creates the Alabama Criminal Enterprise Database (ACED) to collect, maintain, and share information about criminal enterprises and suspected members, with restricted access and annual reporting, to be run by ALEA.
What This Bill Does
The bill directs ALEA to establish, develop, manage, and maintain a statewide criminal intelligence database and to allow submissions from criminal justice agencies. It defines what counts as a criminal enterprise and who can be considered a criminal enterprise member, using multiple criteria such as admission, identification by informants, association with members, or other corroborating indicators. It allows information about individuals reasonably suspected of crime to be stored if relevant to the conduct or to identifying them as a member, but restricts access and keeps data confidential, with limited exceptions for law enforcement and court processes. It also requires rules for submission and use, compliance with federal standards, annual reporting of activity, and notes that funding must be available; the act takes effect June 1, 2025.

Who It Affects
ALEA and other criminal justice agencies: must establish, manage, and maintain the database, submit information for inclusion, and follow the rules governing use and access.
Individuals identified as or suspected of being members of a criminal enterprise: information about them may be stored in the database under defined criteria, with confidentiality and restricted access; data could be used for law enforcement purposes and limited in legal proceedings.

Key Provisions
Creates the Alabama Criminal Enterprise Database (ACED) to be operated by ALEA and aligned with federal Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies and 28 CFR Part 23, with statewide, inter-jurisdictional scope.
Authorizes submission of information by any criminal justice agency, defines terms such as 'criminal enterprise' and 'criminal enterprise member,' and outlines criteria used to identify members (e.g., admission, identification by informants, association with members, attire or tattoos, and other indicators).
Imposes access controls so information is available only for legitimate law enforcement or criminal justice purposes, and keeps database information confidential with restricted public disclosure and limited admissibility in proceedings.
Requires a uniform digital process for submitting data, rules governing use, and the potential for civil penalties or sanctions for rule violations, while promoting compliance with federal standards.
Requires an annual report detailing submissions, access, prosecutions aided, and demographics of individuals in the database, with distribution to designated legislative leaders.
Provides that the database becomes effective June 1, 2025, and its operation depends on available funding.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Crimes & Offenses