Starting Jan. 1, law enforcement will take a new approach to missing persons cases, thanks to a new law supported by State Sen. Michael E. Hastings, a Democrat from Franfort.

The new law eliminates any law enforcement policy requiring the observance of a waiting period before accepting a missing persons report.

The law also required information from a missing persons report to be immediately entered into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System upon receipt of a report.

If a person remains missing for 60 days, agencies are required to obtain and enter their photographs, fingerprint records, dental and skeletal radiographs and biological samples into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The law requires missing persons cases to be kept under active investigation until the person is located and returned or leads are exhausted.

Senate Bill 24 will close a gap in current procedures where police are not required to use other databases that could help locate missing persons.