§ 43-250. Temporary custody; disposition; custody requirements.

(1) A peace officer who takes a juvenile into temporary custody under section 29-401 or subdivision (1), (2), (3), or (7) of section 43-248 shall immediately take reasonable measures to notify the juvenile's parent, guardian, custodian, or relative and shall proceed as follows: (a) The peace officer may release a juvenile taken into temporary custody under section 29-401 or subdivision (1), (2), or (7) of section 43-248; (b) The peace officer may require a juvenile taken into temporary custody under section 29-401 or subdivision (1) or (2) of section 43-248 to appear before the court of the county in which such juvenile was taken into custody at a time and place specified in the written notice prepared in triplicate by the peace officer or at the call of the court. The notice shall also contain a concise statement of the reasons such juvenile was taken into custody. The peace officer shall deliver one copy of the notice to such juvenile and require such juvenile or his or her parent, guardian, other custodian, or relative, or both, to sign a written promise that such signer will appear at the time and place designated in the notice. Upon the execution of the promise to appear, the peace officer shall immediately release such juvenile. The peace officer shall, as soon as practicable, file one copy of the notice with the county attorney or city attorney and, when required by the court, also file a copy of the notice with the court or the officer appointed by the court for such purpose; or (c) The peace officer may retain temporary custody of a juvenile taken into temporary custody under section 29-401 or subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of section 43-248 and deliver the juvenile, if necessary, to the probation officer and communicate all relevant available information regarding such juvenile to the probation officer. The probation officer shall determine the need for detention of the juvenile as provided in section 43-260.01. Upon determining that the juvenile should be placed in detention or an alternative to detention and securing placement in such setting by the probation officer, the peace officer shall implement the probation officer's decision to release or to detain and place the juvenile. When secure detention of a juvenile is necessary, such detention shall occur within a juvenile detention facility except: (i) When a juvenile described in subdivision (1) or (2) of section 43-247, except for a status offender, is taken into temporary custody within a metropolitan statistical area and where no juvenile detention facility is reasonably available, the juvenile may be delivered, for temporary custody not to exceed six hours, to a secure area of a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults solely for the purposes of identifying the juvenile and ascertaining his or her health and well-being and for safekeeping while awaiting transport to an appropriate juvenile placement or release to a responsible party; (ii) When a juvenile described in subdivision (1) or (2) of section 43-247, except for a status offender, is taken into temporary custody outside of a metropolitan statistical area and where no juvenile detention facility is reasonably available, the juvenile may be delivered, for temporary custody not to exceed twenty-four hours excluding nonjudicial days and while awaiting an initial court appearance, to a secure area of a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults solely for the purposes of identifying the juvenile and ascertaining his or her health and well-being and for safekeeping while awaiting transport to an appropriate juvenile placement or release to a responsible party; (iii) Whenever a juvenile is held in a secure area of any jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults, there shall be no verbal, visual, or physical contact between the juvenile and any incarcerated adult and there shall be adequate staff to supervise and monitor the juvenile's activities at all times. This subdivision shall not apply to a juvenile charged with a felony as an adult in county or district court if he or she is sixteen years of age or older; (iv) If a juvenile is under sixteen years of age or is a juvenile as described in subdivision (3) of section 43-247, he or she shall not be placed within a secure area of a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults; (v) If, within the time limits specified in subdivision (1)(c)(i) or (1)(c)(ii) of this section, a felony charge is filed against the juvenile as an adult in county or district court, he or she may be securely held in a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults beyond the specified time limits; (vi) A status offender or nonoffender taken into temporary custody shall not be held in a secure area of a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults; and (vii) A juvenile described in subdivision (1) or (2) of section 43-247, except for a status offender, may be held in a secure area of a jail or other facility intended or used for the detention of adults for up to six hours before and six hours after any court appearance. (2)(a) A juvenile taken into custody pursuant to a legal warrant of arrest shall be delivered to a probation officer. (b)(i) This subdivision (2)(b) applies when a juvenile is arrested for a felony or for a misdemeanor involving firearms or deadly weapons. (ii) The probation officer shall determine the need for detention as provided in section 43-260.01, except that if the results of the standardized juvenile detention screening instrument indicate that detention is not required, the probation officer shall make a recommendation to the judge for release without restriction or release to an alternative to detention and forward all intake information to the judge, who shall determine the need for detention. In making such determination, the judge may consider the results of the standardized juvenile detention screening instrument described in section 43-260.01 but shall not be bound by the results of such screening instrument. (c) For an arrest of a juvenile not described in subdivision (2)(b) of this section, the probation officer shall determine the need for detention of the juvenile as provided in section 43-260.01. (d) If detention is not required, the juvenile may be released without bond unless: (i) Such release is not in the best interests of the juvenile; (ii) The physical safety of persons in the community will be seriously threatened; (iii) Detention is necessary to secure the presence of the juvenile at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the last twelve months; or (iv) Detention of such juvenile is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity for the protection of such juvenile, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of fleeing from law enforcement, absconding from a court-ordered placement, absconding from home, committing a violent offense, committing multiple property crimes, or threatening to cause harm to others. (e) If a juvenile is released under subdivision (2)(d) of this section, the court that issued the warrant shall be notified that the juvenile had been taken into custody and was released. (3) In determining the appropriate temporary placement or alternative to detention of a juvenile under this section, the peace officer shall select the placement or alternative which is least restrictive of the juvenile's freedom so long as such placement or alternative is compatible with the best interests of the juvenile and the safety of the community. Any alternative to detention shall cause the least restriction of the juvenile's freedom of movement consistent with the best interests of the juvenile and the safety of the community. (4) When a juvenile is taken into temporary custody pursuant to subdivision (4) of section 43-248, the peace officer shall deliver the juvenile to the enrolled school of such juvenile. (5) When a juvenile is taken into temporary custody pursuant to subdivision (5), (6), or (7) of section 43-248, and not released under subdivision (1)(a) of this section, the peace officer shall deliver the custody of such juvenile to the Department of Health and Human Services which shall make a temporary placement of the juvenile in the least restrictive environment consistent with the best interests of the juvenile as determined by the department. The department shall supervise such placement and, if necessary, consent to any necessary emergency medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment for such juvenile. The department shall have no other authority with regard to such temporary custody until or unless there is an order by the court placing the juvenile in the custody of the department. If the peace officer delivers temporary custody of the juvenile pursuant to this subsection, the peace officer shall make a full written report to the county attorney within twenty-four hours of taking such juvenile into temporary custody. If a court order of temporary custody is not issued within forty-eight hours of taking the juvenile into custody, the temporary custody by the department shall terminate and the juvenile shall be returned to the custody of his or her parent, guardian, custodian, or relative. (6) If the peace officer takes the juvenile into temporary custody pursuant to subdivision (8) of section 43-248, the peace officer may place the juvenile at a mental health facility for evaluation and emergency treatment or may deliver the juvenile to the Department of Health and Human Services as provided in subsection (5) of this section. At the time of the admission or turning the juvenile over to the department, the peace officer responsible for taking the juvenile into custody pursuant to subdivision (8) of section 43-248 shall execute a written certificate as prescribed by the department which will indicate that the peace officer believes the juvenile to be mentally ill and dangerous, a summary of the subject's behavior supporting such allegations, and that the harm described in section 71-908 is likely to occur before proceedings before a juvenile court may be invoked to obtain custody of the juvenile. A copy of the certificate shall be forwarded to the county attorney. The peace officer shall notify the juvenile's parents, guardian, custodian, or relative of the juvenile's placement. History: Laws 1981, LB 346, § 6; Laws 1982, LB 787, § 4; Laws 1985, LB 447, § 14; Laws 1988, LB 790, § 24; Laws 1996, LB 1044, § 128; Laws 1997, LB 622, § 65; Laws 1998, LB 1073, § 13; Laws 2000, LB 1167, § 12; Laws 2001, LB 451, § 5; Laws 2003, LB 43, § 12; Laws 2004, LB 1083, § 94; Laws 2009, LB63, § 29; Laws 2010, LB771, § 18; Laws 2010, LB800, § 15; Laws 2013, LB255, § 11; Laws 2015, LB294, § 15; Laws 2016, LB894, § 5; Laws 2018, LB670, § 2; Laws 2024, LB1051, § 8; Laws 2025, LB530, § 12.