BILL NUMBER: AB 1762 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Villaraigosa
JANUARY 18, 2000
An act to add and repeal Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 13720)
of Title 5 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, relating to peace officers.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1762, as introduced, Villaraigosa. Peace officer training:
mentally ill persons.
Existing law provides that the Commission on Peace Officer
Standards and Training 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.
Existing law requires the commission to develop this training and
related supplemental training in consultation with appropriate groups
and individuals having an interest and expertise in this area, and
to include specified subject matter.
This bill would direct the Office of Criminal Justice Planning to
establish a Crisis Intervention Team pilot project for the training
of law enforcement officers and public safety dispatchers concerning
the nature of mental illness and appropriate methods of handling the
mentally ill in order to accomplish specified policy goals. The bill
would provide that these projects shall be established in the County
of Los Angeles and in a county to be located within the Central
Valley of California, and would also provide funding to the existing
Crisis Intervention Team program located in the City of San Jose. The
bill would provide that completion of the training course specified
under this program shall satisfy specified training requirements of
existing law, that the implementation of their pilot projects shall
be subject to appropriation by the Legislature, and that these
provisions shall be repealed on January 1, 2004.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 13720) is added to
Title 5 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:
CHAPTER 3. CRISIS INTERVENTION
13720. The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) Approximately 40 percent of persons suffering from serious
mental illness will be arrested at least once during their lifetimes.
It is imperative that progressive law enforcement agencies assume
the responsibility of evaluating situations, recognizing mental
illness and the need for treatment and ensuring that the mentally ill
person receives the proper treatment resources.
(b) Increases in drug and alcohol abuse and the release of the
mentally ill from institutions have caused many to become homeless
and increase the probability of violence and involvement with law
enforcement.
(c) Lawsuits regarding excessive force and related community
reaction are significant concerns for local law enforcement agencies,
and traditional police methods, misinformation, and lack of
sensitivity can cause frustration for both the mentally ill and their
families as well as for law enforcement. Peace officers responding
to calls involving the mentally ill may be faced with a lack of
knowledge about mental illness, resulting in a fear of the unknown,
and an increase in the likelihood of physical confrontation.
(d) An effective program has been established by the San Jose
Police Department called the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) to train
law enforcement officers in the proper handling of persons suffering
from mental illness.
(e) The pilot project created pursuant to this act is intended to
address these concerns by providing regional training programs by
which law enforcement officers can become familiar with the nature of
mental illness, the tools and resources available for assisting the
mentally ill, and related matters.
13721. The Office of Criminal Justice Planning shall establish a
pilot project based on the Crisis Intervention Team program of the
San Jose Police Department to accomplish the following goals:
(a) Reduce the number of mentally ill persons in custody.
(b) Decrease the number of mentally ill persons placed into
emergency commitment custody.
(c) Provide better training and education for law enforcement
officers and dispatchers regarding mental illness.
(d) Decrease the use of force during crisis events involving the
mentally ill.
(e) Reduce the number of injuries to both the mentally ill and to
law enforcement officers.
(f) Improve interaction between law enforcement agencies and
mental health service providers.
13722. Crisis Intervention Teams shall be established and funded
pursuant to this chapter in the County of Los Angeles and in a county
to be located within the Central Valley of California, and the
Crisis Intervention Team program located in the City of San Jose
shall also be eligible to receive funding under this chapter. Crisis
Intervention Teams receiving funding pursuant to this pilot project
shall do all of the following:
(a) Establish a training program where patrol officers and public
safety dispatchers shall attend a 40-hour curriculum under the
instructional supervision of mental health professionals, family
advocates, and mental health consumer groups.
(b) Recruit instructors from local hospitals, mental health
advocacy groups, community agencies, and private mental health
providers with experience in the assessment and treatment of mentally
ill persons.
(c) Require instructors to complete ride-alongs with patrol
officers and sit-alongs with public safety dispatchers to better
understand police operations.
13723. Completion of the training course authorized under this
section shall satisfy the training requirements of Section 13519.2.
13724. Establishment of the Crisis Intervention Team pilot
project authorized pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to an
appropriation by the Legislature.
13725. This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2004, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2004, deletes or extends
that date.