Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1289

Introduced by Assembly Member Cooper

February 27, 2015

An act begin delete to amend Section 49350 of the Education Code, end delete relating to begin delete pupil safety. end delete begin insert community safety and policing: study. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1289, as amended, Cooper. begin delete Pupil safety: Community Policing and Mentoring for School Safety Pilot Program. end delete begin insert Community safety and policing: study. end insert

Existing law establishes the begin delete Community Policing and Mentoring for School Safety Pilot Program under the administration of the State Department of Education in order to ensure that pupils enrolled in California public schools attend campuses that are safe, secure, and orderly, and are places in which pupils and staff are free to learn and teach without the threat of physical or psychological harm. Existing law makes a statement of legislative findings and declarations relating to the pilot program. end delete begin insert Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) in state government and requires the LAO to perform various duties with regard to the analysis, impacts, and expected costs of proposed legislation. end insert

This bill would begin delete make nonsubstantive changes to that statement end delete begin insert require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to conduct a study of community policing and engagement programs, efforts, strategies, and policies in the state, and to report its findings with regard to the study to the Legislature by December 31, 2017 end insert .

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin insert

begin insert SECTION end insert begin insert 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) shall
conduct a study to determine the effectiveness of community
policing and engagement programs, efforts, strategies, and policies
in the state, including, but not limited to, police activities leagues,
neighborhood watch, and integrated policing end insert begin insert . The LAO shall report
its findings with regard to the study to the Legislature by December
31, 2017. end insert

begin insert

(b) The report required to be submitted pursuant to subdivision
(a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the
Government Code.

end insert

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 49350 of the Education Code is amended
to read:

49350.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) Studies have shown that indicators of risk for violence are
associated with a child’s experiences at school. Antisocial behavior
or aggressiveness, which is sometimes combined with isolation,
withdrawal, hyperactivity, or attention deficit disorder, places
children at an increased risk of violence.

(2) These children are at risk of persistent antisocial behavior,
such as skipping school, getting into fights, and misbehaving in
class. Young people of both genders who engage in these activities
are at increased risk of experiencing drug abuse, juvenile
delinquency, violence, dropping out of school, and teen pregnancy.

(3) It is well-known that some youth, even though exposed to
multiple risk factors, do not succumb to violent, antisocial behavior.
One of the defining factors for this outcome is bonding--positive
relationships with family members, teachers, police officers,
sheriffs’ deputies, and other adults.

(4) The Community Policing and Mentoring for School Safety
Pilot Program brings this successful law enforcement strategy to
California’s schools. By providing funding assistance, strict
participation guidelines, and assessments, the Community Policing
and Mentoring for School Safety Pilot Program will bring highly
trained law enforcement officers onto school campuses to work
with pupils during and after school. Community policing in schools
will provide the necessary opportunities for pupils’ active
involvement in positive activities, as well as trained personnel to
teach them skills so that they may pursue later opportunities
successfully. Community policing in schools provides a consistent
system of recognition and reinforcement of positive behavior.

(5) Many school safety approaches, including metal detectors,
drug-sniffing dogs, armed private security personnel, and similar
security measures, are more one-dimensional in their approach to
school safety. The Community Policing and Mentoring for School
Safety Pilot Program takes a multidimensional approach by
involving the community, schools, parents or guardians, and law
enforcement personnel in the design of the program that will serve
their schools. The relationships developed, as a result of this
process and the programs themselves, will be a strong preventative
alternative to antisocial behavior in California’s schools.

(b) As used in this article, “community policing” means an
approach to crime prevention that is founded on developing
positive relationships between law enforcement and the community.
In community policing, law enforcement becomes an integral facet
of the community because officers work directly with the
community and develop positive relationships with members of
the community. Community members become more involved in
their community’s activities because they know they have the
personal support of law enforcement. Community policing
identifies factors that put young people at risk for violence in order
to reduce or eliminate these factors and strengthen protective
factors such as positive relationships with adults.

end delete