R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-28.10-1: Statewide records management system.

(a) The director of the department of public safety in the director’s capacity as superintendent of the division of state police is hereby authorized and empowered to provide for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a statewide dispatch and records management system (RMS). The statewide records management system shall provide for the storage, exchange, retrieval, retention, manipulation, archiving, and viewing of information, records, documents, or files pertaining to law enforcement operations. The records may include, but not be limited to: incident and accident reports, arrests, citations, warrants, case management, field contacts, final dispositions, and other operations-oriented records.

(b) State and local sworn law enforcement agencies are authorized to interface, at their own expense, with the RMS for the exchange of information provided by the system.

(c) The department of public safety is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter. All rules, regulations, and policies authorized under this chapter shall be promulgated in accordance with chapter 35 of this title, the administrative procedures act, and shall be in effect prior to an implementation of the RMS.