Law-enforcement officer training & qualifications; DCJS to develop uniform curriculum & plans, etc. (HB5109)

Introduced By

Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) with support from co-patron Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church)

Description

Department of Criminal Justice Services; law-enforcement officer training and qualifications. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services (the Department) to develop a uniform curriculum and lesson plans for the compulsory minimum entry-level, in-service, and advanced training standards to be employed by criminal justice training academies approved by the Department when conducting training. The bill also requires the Department to include the recognition of implicit biases in interacting with persons who have a mental illness, substance use disorder, or developmental or cognitive disability in its (i) training standards and model policies; (ii) compulsory training standards for basic training and recertification of law-enforcement officers; and (iii) operating procedures, guidelines, and standards for community policing in order to ensure sensitivity to and awareness of systemic and individual racism, cultural diversity, and the potential for bias-based profiling. The bill also requires the Department to include training in de-escalation techniques and training in the lawful use of force, including the use of force only when necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person in the compulsory training standards for basic training and recertification. The bill requires the Department to establish compulsory in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers in the following subjects: (a) relevant state and federal laws; (b) awareness of cultural diversity and the potential for bias-based profiling; (c) de-escalation techniques; (d) working with individuals with disabilities, mental health needs, or substance use disorders; and (e) the lawful use of force, including the use of deadly force only when necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person. In addition, the bill adds to the minimum qualifications to become a law-enforcement officer or a jail officer the requirement that such person undergo a psychological examination, subsequent to a conditional offer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed psychologist or other licensed mental health professional. The bill requires the Department to establish requirements for compulsory mental health examinations for law-enforcement officers, jail officers, and correctional officers that include guidelines on the implementation of such mental health examinations. Finally, the bill requires any criminal justice training academy approved by the Department to employ such uniform curriculum and lesson plans and requires the Department to conduct annual evaluations of each criminal justice training academy's compliance with uniform curriculum and lesson plans. The bill allows an approved criminal justice training academy to petition the Department for a waiver and requires the Department to grant a waiver if the academy meets and exceeds compulsory minimum training standards and substantially complies with the content of uniform curriculum and lesson plans developed by the Department. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History