Iowa approves police notification bill

Associated Press - March 17, 2010 9:24 AM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Senate has given final approval to a bill requiring hospitals to notify police when a seriously mentally patient wanted for a crime is released.

The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved the bill, which was sparked by the slaying of Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas last June.

A former student, Mark Becker, was convicted of killing Thomas on March 2. He faces a mandatory life sentence when he's sentenced on April 14.

Becker had been released the night before the killing from a psychiatric program at a Waterloo hospital. Police said the hospital filed to notify them.

Hospitals that violate the law could face a $1,000 fine for a first violation, and $2,000 fine for a second violation.

Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com