2016 Tennessee Code
Title 55 - Motor and Other Vehicles
Chapter 5 - Anti-Theft Provisions
Part 1 - Violations of Title and Registration Law
§ 55-5-103. Rules and forms for theft or embezzlement reports -- Duties of commissioner and department of safety and department of revenue.

(a) (1) The commissioner of safety is authorized and directed to promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to the submission of the reports required under §§ 55-5-101 and 55-5-102. The rules and regulations shall include time limits for the submission of the reports and shall prescribe the forms that the reports shall be submitted upon.

(2) The commissioner of safety shall cause to be distributed to the sheriffs' offices and police departments throughout the state the requisite forms for the reporting of the theft and recovery of stolen vehicles and parts. The commissioner of safety shall further prescribe and distribute those forms required of wrecker, garage and automobile salvage operators in regard to the recovery of stolen motor vehicles and parts.

(b) (1) The department of safety, by and through the Tennessee highway patrol dispatchers, upon receiving reports of the theft or recovery of motor vehicles, shall cause this information to be filed with the national crime information center.

(2) The department of safety shall further notify the department of revenue of these reports and the department of revenue, upon receiving a report of a stolen or embezzled vehicle as heretofore provided, shall file and appropriately index the same, and shall immediately suspend the certificate of title to the vehicle so reported and shall not transfer the certificate of title until such time as it is notified in writing that the vehicle has been recovered.

(c) The department of revenue shall, at least once each week, compile and maintain in its office a list of all vehicles that have been stolen and embezzled or recovered as reported to it during the preceding week, and this list shall be made immediately available to the department of safety and shall be open to inspection by the general public.

(d) Notwithstanding § 4-7-402 to the contrary, the police department shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the criminal investigation division to investigate theft and recovery of stolen vehicles in any county with a metropolitan form of government and having a population of more than three hundred thousand (300,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census. Nothing in this subsection (d) shall be construed to relieve the duty to report thefts and recoveries of stolen vehicles to the department of safety pursuant to this part.