BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1221
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Date of Hearing: June 29, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
SB 1221
(Hertzberg) - As Amended June 8, 2016
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|Policy |Public Safety |Vote:|7 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill directs the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and
Training (POST) to make the existing continuing education
classroom training course related to law enforcement interaction
with mentally disabled persons available to the State Fire
Marshal, who may revise the course as appropriate for
firefighters.
FISCAL EFFECT:
No cost to POST, and minor absorbable to the State Fire Marshal.
SB 1221
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COMMENTS:
1) Background/Purpose. POST currently provides a
continuing education course on interacting with individuals
with developmental disabilities or mental health issues.
Students are instructed on conflict resolution and
de-escalation techniques for potentially dangerous
situations involving mentally disabled persons and
appropriate language use when interacting with mentally
disabled persons. Individuals receiving instruction are
also told about community and state resources available to
serve mentally disabled persons.
SB 1221 authorizes POST to share their course on
interaction with mentally disabled persons with the State
Fire Marshal.
Many times firefighters, not law enforcement, are the first
responders to an emergency scene. To the extent firefighters
have a better understanding of mental health issues, those
contacts are going to result in better outcomes. This training
will ensure that firefighters can respond to mental health
emergencies appropriately, and will help protect the safety of
mentally-ill individuals and firefighters.
2) Related Legislation:
1) SB 29 (Beall), Chapter 469, Statutes of 2015,
requires law enforcement field training officers to have
at least 8 hours of crisis intervention behavioral health
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training.
2) SB 11 (Beall), Chapter 468, Statutes of 2015,
requires POST to update its basic training course related
to law enforcement interaction with persons with mental
illness to include at least 15 hours.
1) Prior Legislation: AB 1718 (Hertzberg), Chapter 95,
Statutes of 2000, required that POST establish and keep
updated a continuing education classroom training course
relating to law enforcement intervention with
developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons and that
the course be developed in consultation with specified
groups and entities.
Analysis Prepared by:Pedro Reyes / APPR. / (916)
319-2081