Senate BillNo. 1221


Introduced by Senator Hertzberg

February 18, 2016


An act to amend Section 13515.25 of the Penal Code, relating to firefighters.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1221, as introduced, Hertzberg. Firefighters: interaction with mentally disabled persons.

Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to establish a continuing education classroom training course related to law enforcement interaction with mentally disabled persons and to make the course available to law enforcement agencies in California.

This bill would authorize the commission to make the course available to firefighters and fire departments in California. The bill would delete an obsolete reporting requirement and make a conforming change.

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

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

P1    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 13515.25 of the Penal Code is amended
2to read:

3

13515.25.  

(a) begin deleteBy July 1, 2006, the end deletebegin insertThe end insertCommission on Peace
4Officer Standards and Training shall establish and keep updated
5a continuing education classroom training course relating to law
6enforcement interaction with mentally disabled persons. The
7training course shall be developed by the commission in
8consultation with appropriate community, local, and state
P2    1organizations and agencies that have expertise in the area of mental
2illness and developmental disability, and with appropriate consumer
3and family advocate groups. In developing the course, the
4commission shall also examine existing courses certified by the
5commission that relate to mentally disabled persons. The
6commission shall make the course available to law enforcement
7agencies inbegin delete California.end deletebegin insert California, and may make the course
8available to firefighters and fire departments in California.end insert

9(b) The course described in subdivision (a) shall consist of
10classroom instruction and shall utilize interactive training methods
11to ensure that the training is as realistic as possible. The course
12shall include, at a minimum, core instruction in all of the following:

13(1) The cause and nature of mental illnesses and developmental
14disabilities.

15(2) How to identify indicators of mental disability and how to
16respond appropriately in a variety of common situations.

17(3) Conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for
18potentially dangerous situations involving mentally disabled
19persons.

20(4) Appropriate language usage when interacting with mentally
21disabled persons.

22(5) Alternatives to lethal force when interacting with potentially
23dangerous mentally disabled persons.

24(6) Community and state resources available to serve mentally
25disabled persons and how these resources can be best utilized by
26law enforcement to benefit the mentally disabled community.

27(7) The fact that a crime committed in whole or in part because
28of an actual or perceived disability of the victim is a hate crime
29punishable under Title 11.6 (commencing with Section 422.55)
30of Part 1.

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31(c) The commission shall submit a report to the Legislature by
32October 1, 2004, that shall include all of the following:

end delete
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33(1) A description of the process by which the course was
34established, including a list of the agencies and groups that were
35consulted.

end delete
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36(2) Information on the number of law enforcement agencies
37that utilized, and the number of officers that attended, the course
38or other courses certified by the commission relating to mentally
39disabled persons from July 1, 2001, to July 1, 2003, inclusive.

end delete
begin delete

P3    1(3) Information on the number of law enforcement agencies
2that utilized, and the number of officers that attended, courses
3certified by the commission relating to mentally disabled persons
4from July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001, inclusive.

end delete
begin delete

5(4) An analysis of the Police Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
6Program used by the San Francisco and San Jose Police
7Departments, to assess the training used in these programs and
8compare it with existing courses offered by the commission in
9order to evaluate the adequacy of mental disability training
10available to local law enforcement officers.

end delete
begin delete

11(d)

end delete

12begin insert(c)end insert The Legislature encourages law enforcement agencies to
13include the course created in this section, and any other course
14certified by the commission relating to mentally disabled persons,
15as part of their advanced officer training program.

begin delete

16(e)

end delete

17begin insert(d)end insert It is the intent of the Legislature tobegin delete reevaluate, on the basis
18of its review of the report required in subdivision (c),end delete
begin insert reevaluateend insert
19 the extent to which law enforcement officers are receiving adequate
20training in how to interact with mentally disabled persons.



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