Amended in Senate April 15, 2015

Amended in Senate March 23, 2015

Amended in Senate February 26, 2015

Senate BillNo. 11


Introduced by Senators Beall and Mitchell

(begin deleteCoauthor: Senator end deletebegin insertCoauthors: Senators Anderson, Hancock,end insertbegin insert end insertHertzbergbegin insert, Leno, Liu, Monning, and Stoneend insert)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Chávez, Frazier, and Maienschein)

December 1, 2014


An act to add Sections 13515.26 and 13515.27 to the Penal Code, relating to peace officer training standards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 11, as amended, Beall. Peace officer training: mental health.

Existing law requires specified categories of law enforcement officers to meet training standards pursuant to courses of training certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Existing law requires POST to include in its basic training course adequate instruction in the handling of persons with developmental disabilities or mental illness, or both. Existing law also requires POST to establish and keep updated a continuing education classroom training course relating to law enforcement interaction with developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons.

This bill would require POST to include in its basic training coursebegin delete anend deletebegin insert a promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral health classroom training course and instructor-led active learning, such as scenario-based training, to train law enforcement officers to recognize, deescalate, and refer persons with mental illness or intellectual disability who are in crisis. The bill would require that thisbegin insert promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral health classroom training course and instructor-led active learningbegin insert take place in the academy,end insert bebegin insert at leastend insert 20 hours longbegin insert,end insert and be in addition to thebegin delete basic training course’send delete current hour requirementbegin insert leading to the basic certificate issued by POSTend insert.

The bill would also require POST to establish and keep updatedbegin delete anend deletebegin insert a promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral healthbegin insert continuingend insert training coursebegin delete as part of its perishable skills training under its continuing professional training requirementend deletebegin insert that is equivalent in importance to the perishable skills training provided by POSTend insert. The bill would require that thisbegin insert promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral healthbegin insert continuingend insert training course be a minimum of 4 consecutivebegin delete hours of the total hours required in each 4-year period for perishable skills training.end deletebegin insert hours. The bill would require each law enforcement officer with a rank of supervisor or below and who is assigned to patrol duties or to supervise officers who are assigned to patrol duties to complete this course every 4 years.end insert

By imposing additional training costs on local law enforcement agencies, the 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    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 13515.26 is added to the Penal Code, to
2read:

3

13515.26.  

(a) The Commission on Peace Officer Standards
4and Training shall establish and keep updatedbegin delete anend deletebegin insert a promising orend insert
5 evidence-based behavioral health classroom training course and
6instructor-led active learning, such as scenario-based training,
7relating to law enforcement interaction with persons with mental
8illness as part of its basic training course for law enforcement
9officers. Thisbegin insert promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral health
P3    1classroom training course and instructor-led active learning shall
2train officers to recognize, deescalate, and refer persons with mental
3illness or intellectual disability who are in crisis.

4(b) Thisbegin insert promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral health
5classroom training course and instructor-led active learning shall
6address issues relating to stigma, shall be culturally relevant and
7appropriate, and shall include all of the following topics:

8(1) The cause and nature of mental illnesses and intellectual
9disabilities.

10(2) (A) How to identify indicators of mental illness, intellectual
11disability, and substance use disorders.

12(B) How to distinguish between mental illness, intellectual
13disability, and substance use disorders.

14(C) How to respond appropriately in a variety of situations
15involving persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, and
16substance use disorders.

17(3) Conflict resolution and deescalation techniques for
18potentially dangerous situations.

19(4) Appropriate language usage when interacting with potentially
20emotionally distressed persons.

21(5) Community and state resources available to serve persons
22with mental illness or intellectual disability, and how these
23resources can be best utilized by law enforcement.

24(6) The perspective of individuals and families with lived
25experiences with persons with mental illness, intellectual disability,
26and substance use disorders.

27(c) Thisbegin insert promising orend insert evidence-based behavioral health
28classroom training course and instructor-led active learningbegin insert which
29will take place in the academyend insert
shall bebegin insert at leastend insert 20 hours long and
30shall be in addition to thebegin delete basic training course’send delete current hour
31requirementbegin insert leading to the basic certificate issued by the
32Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Trainingend insert
.

33

SEC. 2.  

Section 13515.27 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

34

13515.27.  

(a) The Commission on Peace Officer Standards
35and Training shall establish and keep updatedbegin delete anend deletebegin insert a promising orend insert
36 evidence-based behavioral healthbegin insert continuingend insert training course
37relating to law enforcement interaction with persons with mental
38illnessbegin delete as part of its perishable skills training under its continuing
39professional training requirement.end delete
begin insert that is equivalent in its
P4    1importance to the perishable skills training provided by the
2Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.end insert

begin delete

3(b) Of the total hours required in each four-year period for
4perishable skills training, a minimum of four consecutive hours
5shall be dedicated to the evidence-based behavioral health training
6course.

end delete
begin delete

7(c)

end delete

8begin insert(b)end insert Thisbegin delete evidence-based behavioral health trainingend delete course shall
9begin insert be at least four consecutive hours andend insert address issues related to
10stigma, shall be culturally relevant and appropriate, and shall
11include all of the following topics:

12(1) The cause and nature of mental illness, intellectual disability,
13and substance use disorders.

14(2) (A) How to identify indicators of mental illness, intellectual
15disability, and substance use disorders.

16(B) How to distinguish between mental illness, intellectual
17disability, and substance use disorders.

18(C) How to respond appropriately in a variety of situations
19involving persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, and
20substance use disorders.

21(3) Conflict resolution and deescalation techniques for
22potentially dangerous situations.

23(4) Appropriate language usage when interacting with potentially
24emotionally distressed persons.

25(5) Community and state resources available to serve persons
26with mental illness or intellectual disability, and how these
27resources can be best utilized by law enforcement.

28(6) The perspective of individuals and families with lived
29experiences with persons with mental illness, intellectual disability,
30and substance use disorders.

begin insert

31(c) Each law enforcement officer with a rank of supervisor or
32below and who is assigned to patrol duties or to supervise officers
33who are assigned to patrol duties shall complete the course
34described in subdivisions (a) and (b) every four years.

end insert
35

SEC. 3.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
36this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
37local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
P5    1pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
24 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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