BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 11
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
11 (Beall and Mitchell)
As Amended August 28, 2015
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 38-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Public Safety |7-0 |Quirk, Melendez, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, | |
| | |Lopez, Low, Santiago | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Nazarian, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
SB 11
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SUMMARY: Requires The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and
Training (POST) to establish a training course on law
enforcement interaction with persons with mental illness as part
of its basic training course, that is at least 15 hours.
Requires POST to have a three hour continuing education course
on the same subject matter. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires POST to review the training module in the regular
basic course relating to persons with a mental illness,
intellectual disability, or substance use disorder, and
analyze existing training curricula in order to identify areas
where additional training is needed to better prepare law
enforcement to effectively address incidents involving
mentally disabled persons.
2)Specifies that upon identifying what additional training is
needed, the commission shall update the training in
consultation with appropriate community, local, and state
organizations, and agencies that have expertise in the area of
mental illness, intellectual disability, and substance use
disorders, and with appropriate consumer and family advocate
groups.
3)States that the training shall address issues related to
stigma, shall be culturally relevant and appropriate, and
shall include all of the following topics:
a) Recognizing indicators of mental illness, intellectual
disability, and substance use disorders;
b) Conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for
potentially dangerous situations;
c) Use of force options and alternatives;
SB 11
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d) The perspective of individuals and/or families with
experiences with persons with mental illness, intellectual
disability, and substance use disorders; and,
e) Mental health resources available to the first
responders of events that involve mentally disabled
persons.
4)Requires the course of instruction to be at least 15 hours,
and shall include training scenarios and facilitated learning
activities relating to law enforcement interaction with
persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, and
substance use disorders.
5)Specifies that the course shall be presented within the
existing hours allotted for the regular basic law enforcement
training course.
6)States that POST shall implement this course on, or before,
August 1, 2016.
7)Specifies that POST shall establish and keep updated a
promising or evidence-based behavioral health continuing
training course relating to law enforcement interaction with
persons with mental illness.
8)Requires that the continuing training course be three
consecutive hours and address issues related to stigma, shall
be culturally relevant and appropriate, and shall include all
of the following topics:
a) The cause and nature of mental illness, intellectual
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disability, and substance use disorders;
b) How to identify indicators of mental illness,
intellectual disability, and substance use disorders;
c) How to distinguish between mental illness, intellectual
disability, and substance use disorders;
d) How to respond appropriately in a variety of situations
involving persons with mental illness, intellectual
disability, and substance use disorders;
e) Conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for
potentially dangerous situations;
f) Appropriate language usage when interacting with
potentially emotionally distressed persons;
g) Community and state resources available to serve persons
with mental illness or intellectual disability, and how
these resources can be best utilized by law enforcement;
and,
h) The perspective of individuals and families with lived
experiences with persons with mental illness, intellectual
disability, and substance use disorders.
9)Requires POST to make the continuing training course on mental
illness available to every law enforcement officer with the
rank of supervisor or below and who is assigned to patrol
duties or to supervise officers who are assigned to patrol
duties..
SB 11
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the Commission on Peace Officer Training and
Standards.
2)Requires all peace officers to complete an introductory course
of training prescribed by POST, demonstrated by passage of an
appropriate examination developed by POST.
3)Empowers POST to develop and implement programs to increase
the effectiveness of law enforcement.
4)States that POST shall 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. 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.
5)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
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
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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:
a) The cause and nature of mental illnesses and
developmental disabilities;
b) How to identify indicators of mental disability and how
to respond appropriately in a variety of common situations;
c) Conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for
potentially dangerous situations involving mentally
disabled persons;
d) Appropriate language usage when interacting with
mentally disabled persons;
e) Alternatives to lethal force when interacting with
potentially dangerous mentally disabled persons;
f) 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
g) The fact that a crime committed in whole or in part
because of an actual or perceived disability of the victim
is a hate crime.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, course development cost of $350,000 (Post Officer
Training Fund) to POST for the refresher course.
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COMMENTS: According to the author, "People with mental
illnesses or intellectual disabilities are involved in nearly
half of all police shootings. Yet the California Peace Officer
Standard and Training Curriculum mandates only six hours of
mental health training; and there is no requirement to include
mental health training in an officer's continuing education. SB
11 responds to the public's demand to increase safety 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, SB 11 acknowledges
California's diverse populations by requiring training to be
culturally appropriate."
Analysis Prepared by:
David Billingsley / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744
FN: 0001683