UPDATE

California Enacts Mental Health Training Legislation for Peace Officers 

By Carmen Lee, PWDF Program Coordinator for Public Awareness and Education

In our Summer 2015 e-newsletter, People With Disabilities Foundation (PWDF) discussed two California bills, SB 11 and SB 29, that would require additional behavioral health training for peace officers.  On October 3, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law these two bills, to become effective on January 1, 2016.  California State Senator Jim Beall, chair of the Senate’s Select Committee on Mental Health and the bills’ author, stated, “These bills are essential in a day and age where officers are now the first responders for incidents involving untreated mental illness.”¹

SB 11 requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), which sets minimum standards for law enforcement training,² to include 15 hours of behavioral health instruction in the basic academy course for new police recruits, and to develop at least 3 hours of behavioral health continuing education for current police officers with a rank of supervisor, or below and who is assigned to patrol duties.  Implementation of the basic and continuing training is no later than August 1, 2016.³ 

Basic training at the Academy:  Specifically, SB 11 added Section 13515.26 to the Penal Code, providing that POST review and develop additional training in the basic course to better prepare law enforcement to recognize, de-escalate and appropriately respond to persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance use disorders.  Further, POST shall update this training in consultation with appropriate community contacts who have expertise in this area, and with appropriate consumer and advocate groups.  The content of this training shall address issues related to stigma, be culturally relevant and appropriate, and include training scenarios and facilitated learning activities.⁴

Continuing education:  SB 11 also added Section 13515.27 to the Penal Code, providing that POST update the continuing education classroom training to include instructor-led active training relating to behavioral health and law enforcement interaction with persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, and substance use disorders.⁵ 

Field training:  SB 29 requires police officers in supervisory roles who conduct field training to receive 12 hours of behavioral health training, including 8 hours of crisis intervention instruction and an additional 4 hours in the Field Training Officer program, on how to interact with persons with mental illness or intellectual disability. The implementation dates for field training officers vary, depending on their assignment or appointment dates; the implementation date for the 4 hours of field training is no later than August 1, 2016.  Additional training costs to local law enforcement agencies can be reimbursed by the State.⁶

The existing California POST curriculum includes only 6 hours of mental health training out of a total of 664 hours of mandated training for peace officers.⁷ According to Disability Rights California’s report, An Ounce of Prevention: Law Enforcement Training and Mental Health Crisis Intervention, these 6 hours of training actually combine training for all disabilities.⁸

In California, many law enforcement agencies have adopted Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training ranging from a one-day overview of mental health issues to a 40-hour (5-day) training.⁹  According to a KQED report, “Mental Health Training for Police Officers Helps Defuse Crises,”¹⁰ the amount and type of additional mental health training varies by county law enforcement agencies: for example, Orange County has a 16-hour modified CIT program; San Diego has a 24-hour Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) training; and San Francisco, Monterey and Ventura have 40-hour CIT programs.

CIT training in San Francisco:  In 2001, San Francisco Police originally considered and then rejected the Memphis Police CIT model of training only about 25% of the patrol force, in favor of training its entire force in crisis intervention techniques. ¹¹  However, ten years later, less than half of the San Francisco Police Department had undergone the training, while trained officers were not specifically deployed to crisis calls and those who took an 8-hour training were not always prepared to handle crisis calls.¹²

On February 9, 2011, the San Francisco Police Commission adopted a resolution to establish a specialized CIT, including at least 20-25% of the patrol division receiving at least 40 hours of mental health crisis response training (understanding mental illness, officer safety and de-escalation techniques) and thereafter advanced mental health crisis response training every two years.¹³  Our Summer 2011 e-newsletter mentioned PWDF’s involvement in the CIT Working Group to redesign the training offered to San Francisco police officers. 

In our Fall 2014 e-newsletter, PWDF discussed San Francisco’s adoption of the 40-hour CIT training based on the Memphis Police Model.  The CIT curriculum covers the following topics:  Mental Health Disorders, Medical Issues, Psychotropic Drugs and Side Effects, Juvenile Mental Health, Geriatric Mental Health, Family Perspective by the National Alliance of Mentally Ill, Suicide and Suicide Intervention, Dual Diagnosis, Vicarious Trauma and Conflict Resolution, Suicide by Cop, PTSD Signs and Symptoms, Veteran Encounters and Interactions, and Homeless Outreach.¹⁴

This new state law imposes minimum statewide standards for behavioral health training on police departments and will result in more hours of training in some jurisdictions.  With these new minimum standards, we hope that all trained police officers will be better prepared to respond to persons with mental disabilities.

PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally and developmentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant’s disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF’s educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE, California Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education, and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.