BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Senator Loni Hancock, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 11 Hearing Date: April 7, 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Author: |Beall |
|-----------+-----------------------------------------------------|
|Version: |March 23, 2015 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Consultant:|JRD |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Peace Officer Training: Mental Health
HISTORY
Source: Author
Prior Legislation:AB 1718 (Hertzberg) Chapter 95, Statutes of
2000
SB 2049 (Vasconcellos) Vetoed by Governor in
1998
Support: Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs;
Association of Regional Center Agencies; The Arc and
United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration;
California Association of Code Enforcement Officers;
California Attorneys for Criminal Justice; California
College and University Police Chiefs Association;
California Correctional Supervisors Organization;
California Medical Association; California Narcotics
Officers Association; California Public Defenders
Association; California State Lodge, Fraternal Order
of Police; County Behavioral Health Directors
Association; Disability Rights California; Long Beach
Police Officers Association; Los Angeles County
Professional Peace Officers Association; Los Angeles
Police Protective League; Riverside Sheriffs
Association; Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs'
SB 11 (Beall ) PageB
of?
Association; Santa Ana Police Officers Association;
Steinberg Institute; United Domestic Workers of
America
Opposition:California State Sheriffs' Association
PURPOSE
The purpose of this legislation is to require peace officers to
participate in: (1) a 20 hour evidence-based behavioral health
classroom training course, as specified, in addition to the
basic training course's current hour requirement; and, (2) a 4
hour evidence-based behavioral health training course, as
specified, as part of the total hours required for perishable
skills training.
Peace Officer Standards and Training
Existing law creates, in the Department of Justice, a Commission
on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The POST
commission consists of 15 members appointed by the Governor,
after consultation with, and with the advice of, the Attorney
General and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Racial,
gender, and ethnic diversity must be considered for all
appointments to the commission. (Penal Code § 13500.)
Existing law provides POST with the following powers:
To meet at those times and places as it may deem proper.
To employ an executive secretary and, pursuant to civil
service, those clerical and technical assistants as may be
necessary.
To contract with other agencies, public or private, or
persons as it deems necessary, for the rendition and
affording of those services, facilities, studies, and
reports to the commission as will best assist it to carry
out its duties and responsibilities.
To cooperate with and to secure the cooperation of
county, city, city and county, and other local law
enforcement agencies in investigating any matter within the
SB 11 (Beall ) PageC
of?
scope of its duties and responsibilities, and in performing
its other functions.
To develop and implement programs to increase the
effectiveness of law enforcement and when those programs
involve training and education courses to cooperate with
and secure the cooperation of state-level officers,
agencies, and bodies having jurisdiction over systems of
public higher education in continuing the development of
college-level training and education programs.
To cooperate with and secure the cooperation of every
department, agency, or instrumentality in the state
government.
To do any and all things necessary or convenient to
enable it fully and adequately to perform its duties and to
exercise the power granted to it.
The commission does not have the authority to adopt or
carry out a regulation that authorizes the withdrawal or
revocation of a certificate previously issued to a peace
officer.
Except as specifically provided by law, the commission
does not have the authority to cancel a certificate
previously issued to a peace officer.
(Penal Code § 13503.)
Current law requires POST to endeavor to minimize costs of
administration so that a maximum amount of funds can be expended
for the purpose of providing training and other services to
local law enforcement agencies. (Penal Code § 13505.)
Existing law requires POST to adopt rules establishing minimum
standards relating to physical, mental, and moral fitness that
govern the recruitment of any city police officers, peace
officer members of a county sheriff's office, marshals or deputy
marshals, and other specified peace officers. (Penal Code §
13510.)
SB 11 (Beall ) PageD
of?
POST Basic Certificate
Existing law requires every undersheriff or deputy sheriff of a
county, any police officer of a city, and any police officer of
a district authorized by statute to maintain a police
department, and is responsible for the prevention and detection
of crime and the general enforcement of the criminal laws of
this state, to obtain the basic certificate issued by the
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training within 18
months of his or her employment in order to continue to exercise
the powers of a peace officer after the expiration of the
18-month period. (Penal Code § 832.4(a).)
Existing law requires every peace officer listed in subdivision
(a) of Section 830.1, as specified, to obtain the basic
certificate issued by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards
and Training upon completion of probation, but in no case later
than 24 months after his or her employment, in order to continue
to exercise the powers of a peace officer after the expiration
of the 24-month period. (Penal Code § 832.4 (b).)
Existing regulations require, with limited exceptions:
Every peace officer listed in Penal Code section
830.1(a), with limited exceptions, to obtain the POST
basic certificate in order to continue to exercise peace
officer powers.
Pursuant to Penal Code section 832.4(c), as a
condition of continued employment, each police chief, or
any other person in charge of a local law enforcement
agency, who is appointed on or after January 1, 1999, to
possess the POST basic certificate within two years of
appointment.
SB 11 (Beall ) PageE
of?
Every peace officer appointed by a department
participating in the POST Program must possess the
appropriate basic certificate.
(11 C.C.R. 1011 (2015).)
Existing regulations require applicants for the award of a basic
certificate to:
Be employed as a full-time peace officer by a
POST-participating department.
Completed the Regular Basic Course.<1>
Complete the current employing department's probationary
period of not less than 12 months.
(11 C.C.R. 1011 (2015).)
Legislatively Mandated Basic Training Requirements
Existing law requires the POST basic training course, and other
training courses as the commission determines appropriate, to
include instruction on the identification and handling of
possible carcinogenic materials and the potential health hazards
associated with these materials, protective equipment, and
clothing available to minimize contamination, handling, and
disposing of materials and measures and procedures that can be
adopted to minimize exposure to possible hazardous materials.
(Health and Safety Code § 1797.187.)
Existing law allows a peace officer, as specified, to purchase,
possess, transport, and use tear gas or a tear gas weapon if the
person has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction
---------------------------
<1> The Regular Basic Course (academy) is the entry-level
training requirement for many California peace officers, as
specified in POST Regulation 1005. There are 39 POST-certified
basic training academies in California. The Standard Format of
the Regular Basic Course is delivered in a one-part
instructional sequence with a minimum requirement of 664 hours.
(https://post.ca.gov/regular-basic-course.aspx.)
SB 11 (Beall ) PageF
of?
approved by POST in the use of tear gas. (Penal Code § 22820.)
Existing law requires POST to prepare guidelines establishing
standard procedures which may be followed by police agencies in
the detection, investigation, and response to cases in which a
minor is a victim of an act of abuse or neglect prohibited by
this code. POST is additionally required to include adequate
instruction in these procedures in the course of training
leading to the basic certificate issued by POST. (Penal Code §
13517.)
Existing law requires POST to include in the basic training
course for law enforcement officers, adequate instruction in the
handling of persons with developmental disabilities or mental
illness, or both. The course of instruction relating to the
handling of developmentally disabled or mentally ill persons
must be developed by POST in consultation with appropriate
groups and individuals having an interest and expertise in this
area. In addition to providing instruction on the handling of
these persons, the course must also include information on the
cause and nature of developmental disabilities and mental
illness, as well as the community resources available to serve
these persons. (Penal Code § 13519.2)
Existing law requires POST to implement a course or courses of
instruction for the training of law enforcement officers, as
specified, in California in the handling of domestic violence
complaints. The course or courses of instruction must stress
enforcement of criminal laws in domestic violence situations,
availability of civil remedies and community resources, and
protection of the victim. (Penal Code § 13519.)
Existing law requires every city police officer or deputy
sheriff at a supervisory level and below who is assigned field
or investigative duties to complete an elder and dependent adult
abuse training course certified by POST. The training must, at
a minimum, include the following subjects: (1) Relevant laws;
(2) Recognition of elder and dependent adult abuse; (3)
Reporting requirements and procedures; (4) Neglect of elders and
dependent adults; (5) Fraud of elders and dependent adults; (6)
Physical abuse of elders and dependent adults; (7) Psychological
abuse of elders and dependent adults; (8) The role of the local
adult protective services and public guardian offices; and, (9)
The legal rights of, and remedies available to, victims of elder
SB 11 (Beall ) PageG
of?
or dependent adult abuse. (Penal Code § 13515.)
Existing law requires every city police officer, sheriff, deputy
sheriff, marshal, deputy marshal, peace officer member of the
Department of the California Highway Patrol, and police officer
of a district authorized by statute to maintain a police
department, except those whose duties are primarily clerical or
administrative, to meet the training standards prescribed by the
Emergency Medical Services Authority for the administration of
first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. (Penal Code §
13518.)
Existing law requires POST to implement a course or courses of
instruction to provide ongoing training to the appropriate peace
officers on methods of gang and drug law enforcement. (Penal
Code § 13519.5.)
Existing law requires POST to develop guidelines and a course of
instruction and training for law enforcement officers who are
employed as peace officers, or who are not yet employed as a
peace officer but are enrolled in a training academy for law
enforcement officers, addressing hate crimes. (Penal Code §
13519.6.)
Existing law requires every law enforcement officer testifying
as to hearsay statements to either have five years of law
enforcement experience or have completed a training course
certified by the POST that includes training in the
investigation and reporting of cases and testifying at
preliminary hearings. (Penal Code § 872.)
Existing law requires POST to implement a course or courses of
instruction for the training of law enforcement officers and law
enforcement dispatchers, as specified, in the handling of
missing person and runaway cases. (Penal Code §13519.1.)
Existing law requires POST to develop and disseminate guidelines
and training for all law enforcement officers, as specified, on
the racial and cultural differences among the residents of this
state. The course or courses of instruction and the guidelines
are required to stress understanding and respect for racial and
cultural differences, and development of effective, noncombative
methods of carrying out law enforcement duties in a racially and
culturally diverse environment. (Penal Code § 13519.4.)
SB 11 (Beall ) PageH
of?
Existing law requires POST to implement a course or courses of
instruction for the training of law enforcement officers in the
handling of acts of civil disobedience and adopt guidelines that
may be followed by police agencies in responding to acts of
civil disobedience. (Penal Code § 13514.5.)
Existing law requires POST to implement a course or courses of
instruction for the regular and periodic training of law
enforcement officers in the handling of high-speed vehicle
pursuits. (Penal Code § 13519.8.)
Existing law requires POST to prepare guidelines establishing
standard procedures which may be followed by police agencies in
the investigation of sexual assault cases, and cases involving
the sexual exploitation or sexual abuse of children, including,
police response to, and treatment of, victims of these crimes.
The course of training leading to the basic certificate issued
by the commission must include adequate instruction in these
procedures. (Penal Code § 13516.)
Existing law requires POST to develop complaint guidelines to be
followed by city police departments, county sheriffs'
departments, districts, and state university departments, for
peace officers who are victims of sexual harassment in the
workplace. The course of basic training for law enforcement
officers must include instruction on sexual harassment in the
workplace. (Penal Code § 13519.7.)
Existing law allows peace officer members of a police
department, sheriff's office, marshal's office, the California
Highway Patrol, the Department of Justice, or the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation, to possess short-barreled rifles
and short-barreled shotguns when on duty and the use is
authorized by the agency and is within the course and scope of
their duties, and the officers have completed a training course
in the use of these weapons certified by POST. (Penal Code §
33220.)
Existing law requires POST to establish, for those specified
peace officers, a course on the nature of sudden infant death
syndrome and the handling of cases involving the sudden deaths
SB 11 (Beall ) PageI
of?
of infants. The course must include information on the community
resources available to assist families and child care providers
who have lost a child to sudden infant death syndrome. Officers
must complete a course in sudden infant death syndrome prior to
the issuance of the POST basic certificate. (Penal Code §
13519.3.)
Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services, in
coordination with the State Fire Marshal's office, the
Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training, the Emergency Medical
Services Authority, and all other interested state agencies with
designated response roles in the state emergency plan, to
jointly develop an approved course of instruction for use in
training all emergency response personnel, consisting of the
concepts and procedures associated with the standardized
emergency management system. (Government Code § 8607.)
Existing law permits a peace officer who has successfully
completed a course or courses of instruction, approved by POST,
in the investigation of traffic accidents may prepare, in
triplicate, on a form approved by the Judicial Council, a
written notice to appear when the peace officer has reasonable
cause to believe that any person involved in a traffic accident
has violated a provision of this code not declared to be a
felony or a local ordinance and the violation was a factor in
the occurrence of the traffic accident. (Vehicle Code § 40600.)
This bill would require POST to include in its basic training
course an evidence-based behavioral health classroom training
course 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 this evidence-based behavioral health classroom
training course be 20 hours long and be in addition to the basic
training course's current hour requirement.
Continuing Training
Existing law requires POST to establish and keep updated a
continuing education classroom training course relating to law
enforcement interaction with mentally disabled persons. The
training course is required to be developed in consultation with
appropriate community, local, and state organizations and
SB 11 (Beall ) PageJ
of?
agencies that have expertise in the area of mental illness and
developmental disability, and with appropriate consumer and
family advocate groups. POST is required to make the course
available to law enforcement agencies in California. This
course must consist of classroom instruction and utilize
interactive training methods to ensure that the training is as
realistic as possible. The course must include, at a minimum,
core instruction in the following: (1) the cause and nature of
mental illnesses and developmental disabilities; (2) how to
identify indicators of mental disability and how to respond
appropriately in a variety of common situations; (3) conflict
resolution and de-escalation techniques for potentially
dangerous situations involving mentally disabled persons; (4)
appropriate language usage when interacting with mentally
disabled persons; (5) alternatives to lethal force when
interacting with potentially dangerous mentally disabled
persons; (6) community and state resources available to serve
mentally disabled persons and how these resources can be best
utilized by law enforcement to benefit the mentally disabled
community; and, (7) the fact that a crime committed in whole or
in part because of an actual or perceived disability of the
victim is a hate. (Penal Code § 13515.25.)
Existing regulations require all peace officers (except reserve
officers) below the middle management position and assigned to
patrol, traffic, or investigation who routinely effect the
physical arrest of criminal suspects are required to complete
Perishable Skills and Communications training. In-lieu of
completing the training, the requirement may be met by
successfully passing a presenter-developed test that measures
the approved training objectives. Perishable skills training
consists of a minimum of 12 hours in each two-year period. Of
the total 12 hours required, a minimum of 4 hours of each of the
three following topical areas must be completed: 1. Arrest and
Control; 2. Driver Training/Awareness or Driving Simulator; and,
3. Tactical Firearms or Force Options Simulator. (11 C.C.R.
1005 (2015).)
The bill would require POST to establish and keep updated an
evidence-based behavioral health training course as part of its
perishable skills training. The bill would require that this
evidence-based behavioral health training course be a minimum of
4 consecutive hours every 4 years.
SB 11 (Beall ) PageK
of?
RECEIVERSHIP/OVERCROWDING CRISIS AGGRAVATION
For the past eight years, this Committee has scrutinized
legislation referred to its jurisdiction for any potential
impact on prison overcrowding. Mindful of the United States
Supreme Court ruling and federal court orders relating to the
state's ability to provide a constitutional level of health care
to its inmate population and the related issue of prison
overcrowding, this Committee has applied its "ROCA" policy as a
content-neutral, provisional measure necessary to ensure that
the Legislature does not erode progress in reducing prison
overcrowding.
On February 10, 2014, the federal court ordered California to
reduce its in-state adult institution population to 137.5% of
design capacity by February 28, 2016, as follows:
143% of design bed capacity by June 30, 2014;
141.5% of design bed capacity by February 28, 2015; and,
137.5% of design bed capacity by February 28, 2016.
In February of this year the administration reported that as "of
February 11, 2015, 112,993 inmates were housed in the State's 34
adult institutions, which amounts to 136.6% of design bed
capacity, and 8,828 inmates were housed in out-of-state
facilities. This current population is now below the
court-ordered reduction to 137.5% of design bed capacity."(
Defendants' February 2015 Status Report In Response To February
10, 2014 Order, 2:90-cv-00520 KJM DAD PC, 3-Judge Court, Coleman
v. Brown, Plata v. Brown (fn. omitted).
While significant gains have been made in reducing the prison
population, the state now must stabilize these advances and
demonstrate to the federal court that California has in place
the "durable solution" to prison overcrowding "consistently
demanded" by the court. (Opinion Re: Order Granting in Part and
Denying in Part Defendants' Request For Extension of December
31, 2013 Deadline, NO. 2:90-cv-0520 LKK DAD (PC), 3-Judge Court,
Coleman v. Brown, Plata v. Brown (2-10-14). The Committee's
consideration of bills that may impact the prison population
therefore will be informed by the following questions:
Whether a proposal erodes a measure which has contributed
to reducing the prison population;
SB 11 (Beall ) PageL
of?
Whether a proposal addresses a major area of public safety
or criminal activity for which there is no other
reasonable, appropriate remedy;
Whether a proposal addresses a crime which is directly
dangerous to the physical safety of others for which there
is no other reasonably appropriate sanction;
Whether a proposal corrects a constitutional problem or
legislative drafting error; and
Whether a proposal proposes penalties which are
proportionate, and cannot be achieved through any other
reasonably appropriate remedy.
COMMENTS
1. Need for This Legislation
According to the author:
Day by day there is a growing recognition throughout
law enforcement nationwide of the value of behavioral
health training for officers. SB 11 responds to the
public's heightened distrust by mandating stronger
evidence-based behavioral health training that has
proven to reduce volatile confrontations between peace
officers and people with mental illnesses or
intellectual disabilities. Equally important, the
bill recognizes California's cultural diversity and
requires training to be culturally appropriate.
Specifically, SB 11 mandates:
20 hours additional hours of universal
evidence-based behavioral health
classroom-training and instructor led active
learning such as scenario-based training in the
Academy so that all officers can recognize,
de-escalate and refer people with mental
illnesses who are in crisis.
Designates behavioral health training as
a perishable skill under continuing education and
mandates peace officers to take 4 hours of
continuing education regarding persons with
SB 11 (Beall ) PageM
of?
mental illness once every four years.
The existing California Peace Officer Standards and
Training curriculum for prospective officers mandates
664 hours (16 weeks) of training. This includes 72
hours on how to handle firearms and pepper spray; 40
hours for investigative report writing; 40 hours on
fitness; and 40 hours on driving -- but just six hours
of mental health training. This training is not
narrowly focused on matters pertaining to individuals
with mental health disabilities but covers all types
of disabilities (physical, sensory, cognitive,
developmental and mental) and includes an overview of
federal and state disability laws. This is a daunting
amount of material that does not include a mandate for
instruction of best practice training techniques like
de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention.
Furthermore, there are no mandates that require
behavioral health training for advanced officer
continuing education coursework and no mandatory
perishable skills behavioral health training.
According to POST representatives, there are currently
38 mental health training courses that have been
certified by POST available statewide to law
enforcement officers and dispatchers. Although
training resources exists, there is no standardized
mental health training curriculum statewide other than
the mandatory 6 hours in the Academy. The lack of
uniformity creates a patchwork of training programs
offered by California law enforcement agencies. Some
agencies offer robust training programs while others
offer far less. Every officer, from Susanville to San
Diego, needs to be provided with the most current
effective tools to interact safely with people with
mental illnesses especially given the frequency of
contacts with people with a mental illness (POST
estimates 10-15%).
2. Effect of the Legislation
SB 11 (Beall ) PageN
of?
Currently, law enforcement officers receive six hours of POST
approved training on how to interact with persons with mental
illnesses and developmental disabilities during their Regular
Basic Training course, as required by Penal Code section
13519.2. While there is no mandatory continuing education
requirement, POST offers a variety of courses relating to mental
health. According to information provided by POST, there are
currently 38 mental health certified courses available to
California law enforcement. These courses range from four to
forty hours.
According to a recent study conducted by Disability Rights
California, who support this legislation:
Frequently, police officers respond to mental health
related calls and incidents, many of which can be time
consuming. At least one jurisdiction reported to
Disability Rights California that mental health calls
constitute up to one third of all calls for service
that they receive. In 2008, the federal Bureau of
Justice Affairs reported that "behaviors resulting in
mental illness are a factor in 3 to 7 percent of all
law enforcement calls for service." And more recent
media accounts say that these calls are on the rise.
More than 80 percent of agencies responding to
Disability Rights California's survey reported that
officers spend more time on these calls than other
calls for service. Typical scenarios that trigger a
police response:
- A father calls 911 because he is not sure who
else to call or how to access immediate help after
his adult son stops taking his medication and
refuses to come out of his bedroom for several days.
- A woman perches on the ledge of a freeway
overpass, crying and repeating that she feels like
life is hopeless and she wants to jump.
SB 11 (Beall ) PageO
of?
- A store owner calls the police about a
disheveled and dirty man pacing outside of his
storefront, yelling profanities, talking to an
unseen person, and refusing to leave the premises.
- A neighbor calls the police after he hears his
next door neighbor, who lives alone, screaming and
breaking things.
- On a hot summer day, officers encounter a
homeless man who appears emaciated, shuffling behind
a shopping cart laden with trash. He is wearing a
down parka over layers of clothes, despite the 90
degree heat.
(An Ounce of Prevention: Law Enforcement Training and
Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Disability Rights
California, August 2014.)
According to those in support of this legislation, officers need
to be better prepared to respond appropriately when dealing with
individuals in scenarios like these. To this end, this
legislation would increase the amount of behavioral health
training that officers receive during regular basic training and
would mandate four consecutive hours of behavioral health
training every four years.
SHOULD OFFICERS BE REQUIRED TO HAVE 20 HOURS OF BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH TRAINING AS PART OF THE REGULAR BASIC TRAINING COURSE?
SHOULD OFFICERS BE REQUIRED TO HAVE FOUR CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF
CONTINUING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRAINING EVERY FOUR YEARS?
3. Issues and Concerns
SB 11 (Beall ) PageP
of?
Evidence-Based Training
SB 11 would require that officers be provided evidence-based
behavioral health classroom training course to train them to
recognize, deescalate, and refer persons with mental illness or
intellectual disability who are in crisis. Requiring
evidence-based training could limit the use of high-quality,
promising behavioral health training.<2> Members may wish to
recommend an amendment that would permit "promising
evidence-based or evidence-based training."
Regular Basic Training Course: Definition and Hours
This legislation requires the "basic training course for law
enforcement officers" include 20 hours of behavior health
training. The author clearly intends to require additional
training for officers who are required to go through Regular
Basic Training. To ensure that the author's intent is made
clear in the legislation, members may wish to consider an
amendment that requires officers to have an additional 20 hours
of behavioral health training "in the course of training leading
to the basic certificate issued by POST."
This legislation, additionally, requires that the behavioral
health training be 20 hours long. As drafted, this legislation
would require exactly 20 hours of additional training, members
may wish to consider an amendment to give POST the flexibility
to go beyond 20 hours, if necessary.
Continuing Training
--------------------------
<2> U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has
defined a promising practice as one with at least preliminary
evidence of effectiveness in small-scale interventions or for
which there is potential for generating data that will be useful
for making decisions about taking the intervention to scale and
generalizing the results to diverse populations and settings.
SB 11 (Beall ) PageQ
of?
Perishable skills training is mandated in POST regulations,
which require a certain number of hours every two years. Given
that the training required by this legislation has different
timeframes (four consecutive hours every four years), members
may wish to consider an amendment making the four consecutive
hours of behavioral health training every 4 years a continuing
education requirement, similar to the domestic violence
continuing education requirement described in Penal Code 13519.
4. Argument in Support
According to County Behavioral Health Directors
Association:
There is a growing recognition among law enforcement
nationwide of the need for more behavioral health
training for officers. The existing California Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) curriculum
includes only 6 hours of mental health training out of
a total of 664 hours of mandated training for peace
officers, which is clearly not sufficient. SB 11
would require POST to include in its basic training
course an evidence-based behavioral health classroom
training course 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 this evidence-based
behavioral health classroom training course be 20
hours long and be in addition to the basic training
course's current hour requirement. The bill would
also require POST to establish an evidence-based
behavioral health training course as part of its
perishable skills training under its continuing
professional education requirement.
5. Argument in Opposition
According to the California State Sheriffs' Association:
On behalf of the California State Sheriffs'
Association (CSSA), we must respectfully oppose Senate
Bill 11, which would mandate increased training for
law enforcement officers on mental health issues.
SB 11 (Beall ) PageR
of?
To be clear, CSSA recognizes the importance of
appropriate training of law enforcement officers. We
also acknowledge that mental health issues have grown
in significance in recent years. California peace
officers are among the best trained in the nation
because of the rigorous and comprehensive education
and training regimen overseen by the Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Proper
training prepares officers for the daily dangers of
their jobs, builds trust with the community members
protected by law enforcement, and provides appropriate
standards for peace officer behavior.
Currently, significant training on mental health
issues is required of prospective and employed peace
officers. The basic POST academy includes mandatory
training on mental health issues and includes a
scenario-based test that must be passed in order to
graduate from an academy. Additionally, law
enforcement agencies around the state offer ongoing
POST-certified crisis intervention training on mental
health and require their officers to complete
additional mental health training in addition to the
state-mandated minimums.
SB 11 would require 20 additional hours of training as
part of basic peace officer education and four
additional hours of perishable skills training on
mental health issues. While CSSA does not necessarily
oppose alterations to training requirements, this bill
simply adds a time-based requirement without the
benefit of knowing where gaps and deficiencies in
existing training mandates may exist. More training
for the sake of more training may not be beneficial
and may come at the expense of other, more necessary
training.
POST, in conjunction with law enforcement, is in the
process of examining mental health training courses
and requirements to ascertain if there are issues that
need to be addressed. Although we appreciate the
desire to improve interactions between law enforcement
and persons with mental health issues, SB 11
SB 11 (Beall ) PageS
of?
represents a premature, unfunded mandate that offers
no guarantee of providing the appropriate training to
the right officers.
-- END --