Amended in Assembly April 25, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2626


Introduced by Assembly Members Jones-Sawyer and Bonta

February 19, 2016


An act to add Section 13519.45 to the Penal Code, relating to peace officer standards and training.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2626, as amended, Jones-Sawyer. Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training: procedural justice training.

Existing law establishes the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and requires it to develop and disseminate guidelines and training for law enforcement officers, as described.

This bill would require the commission to develop and disseminatebegin delete guidelines andend delete training for peace officers on principled policing, which would include the subjects of procedural justice and implicit bias, as defined. The bill would require this trainingbegin delete as part of the basic training course forend deletebegin insert for specifiedend insert peace officers. The bill would also require the commission tobegin delete develop and disseminate guidelines and trainingend deletebegin insert certify and make training availableend insert to train peace officers to teach the course ofbegin delete basicend delete training on principled policing to other officers in their agencies. The bill would require the commission to offer thebegin delete basicend delete principled policing course and the training coursebegin delete semiannuallyend deletebegin insert quarterlyend insert commencing in June 2017.begin insert The bill would require the commission, no later than June 1, 2018, to evaluate its current course of basic training and promulgate a plan to incorporate the concepts of principled policing into its course of basic training and would require each peace officer to complete a refresher course no less than every 5 years.end insert

By requiring additionalbegin delete basicend delete training for peace officers, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

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

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

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertThe Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:end insert

begin insert

3
(a) The relationship between law enforcement and the
4communities they are sworn to protect must be grounded in trust
5in order to ensure safety and protection for all.

end insert
begin insert

6
(b) Despite the ongoing challenges to fostering strong
7relationships of trust between law enforcement and communities,
8the practice of principled policing, specifically procedural justice
9and implicit bias, is one strategy shown to improve
10police-community relationships.

end insert
begin insert

11
(c) It is in the interest of California’s communities and the
12thousands of men and women who are sworn to serve and protect
13the public that the State of California support evidence-based
14strategies to improve the relationship of trust between law
15enforcement and communities.

end insert
begin insert

16
(d) Understanding and implementing the practice of principled
17policing, specifically procedural justice and implicit bias, offers
18an opportunity for law enforcement and communities to
19collaboratively build trust and improve safety for all.

end insert
20

begin deleteSECTION 1.end delete
21
begin insertSEC. 2.end insert  

Section 13519.45 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

22

13519.45.  

(a) (1) The commission shall develop and
23disseminatebegin delete guidelines andend delete training on principled policing,
24specifically procedural justice and implicit bias, for all peace
25officers described in subdivision (a) of Section 13510.

P3    1(2) “Procedural justice” meansbegin delete the procedures used by police
2officers where citizens are treated fairly and with proper respect
3as human beings.end delete
begin insert an approach to policing based on giving people
4the opportunity to tell their side of the story, remaining neutral in
5decisionmaking and behavior, treating people with respect, and
6explaining actions in a way that communicates caring for people’s
7concerns so as to demonstrate trustworthiness.end insert

8(3) “Implicit bias” means thoughts or feelings aboutbegin delete people of
9which one is unaware and can influence one’s own and others’
10actions.end delete
begin insert social groups that can influence people’s perceptions,
11decisions, and actions without awareness.end insert

12(4) The course or courses of instructionbegin delete and the guidelinesend delete shall
13stress procedural justice as a strategy for improving the relationship
14of trust between law enforcement and communities and how
15implicit bias can be a barrier to procedural justice.

16(b) The course ofbegin delete basicend delete training for peace officers shall include
17adequate instruction on procedural justice and implicit bias in order
18to foster mutual respect and cooperation between law enforcement
19and communities. The curriculum shall be evidence-based and
20shall be developed in consultation with appropriate groups and
21individuals who have expertise in procedural justice or implicit
22bias, including, but not limited to, law enforcement agencies that
23have demonstrated experience in procedural justice or implicit
24bias training, university professors who specialize in addressing
25and reducing racial and identity bias towards individuals and
26groups, and community organizations or members who specialize
27in civil or human rights and criminal justice. The course of
28instruction shall include, but not be limited to, consideration of
29each of the following subjects:

30(1) Procedural justice as a strategy for improving the relationship
31of trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities
32they are sworn to serve.

33(2) Implicit bias as a barrier to procedural justice.

34(3) Historical and generational effects of policing.

35(4) Interactive nature of policing goals, procedural justice, and
36implicit bias.

37(c) The commission shall alsobegin delete develop and disseminate
38guidelines and trainingend delete
begin insert certify and make training availableend insert to train
39peace officers to be able to effectively teach the course ofbegin delete basicend delete
40 training on principled policing. The training course shall be
P4    1structured so that experts on procedural justice and implicit bias
2train begin delete small groups fromend delete law enforcement agencies to be able to
3effectively teach the concepts, principles, and research behind
4procedural justice and implicit bias to colleagues within their
5departments. Participating law enforcement agenciesbegin delete shallend deletebegin insert are
6encouraged toend insert
send at least one police executivebegin insert or managerend insert and
7one training officer to the training course. Law enforcement
8agencies are encouraged to attend the training course with at least
9one community member. Upon completion of the training course,
10peace officers from participating law enforcement agencies shall
11bebegin delete certifiedend deletebegin insert qualifiedend insert by the commission to conduct the coursebegin delete of
12basic trainingend delete
on principled policing for colleagues in their
13respective agencies.

14(d) The commission shall offer the coursebegin delete of basic trainingend delete on
15principled policing and the trainingbegin delete courseend delete on abegin delete semiannualend delete
16begin insert quarterlyend insert basis in regional training centers across the state
17commencing in June 2017.

begin insert

18
(e) No later than June 1, 2018, the commission shall evaluate
19its current course of basic training and promulgate a plan to
20incorporate the concepts of principled policing, as set forth in this
21section, into its course of basic training and shall require each
22peace officer described in subdivision (a) of Section 13510 to
23complete a refresher course no less frequent than every five years.

end insert
24

begin deleteSEC. 2.end delete
25
begin insertSEC. 3.end insert  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
26this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
27local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
28pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
294 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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