Crimes of violence: crimes at sea.

Existing law regulates harbors and navigable waters. Existing law provides that those provisions, in so far as they are not in conflict with the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction and laws of the United States, apply to navigable waters of the United States. Existing law regards as navigable and public ways the coast line of the state from the boundary between it and Mexico on the south, to the boundary line between it and Oregon on the north, as defined and determined by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. This bill would require the owner or operator of a ship to preserve a crime scene and all physical evidence whenever a violent crime is reported to the owner or operator of the ship at anytime when the ship is within the jurisdiction of the state. The bill would make the owner or operator liable for a civil fine not to exceed $50,000 in an action brought by the district attorney for a failure to satisfy the requirements of these provisions.