Bill > SB46

This bill requires the Pennsylvania Attorney General to develop a comprehensive statewide model policy to prevent excessive force by law enforcement and school security personnel within 120 days of the act's effective date. The policy, to be developed in consultation with various stakeholders including law enforcement agencies and community organizations, must include specific components such as mandatory de-escalation tactics, a force continuum that limits the types of force and weapons that can be used, a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds, requirements for verbal warnings before using deadly force, prohibitions on shooting at individuals in moving vehicles unless they pose a deadly threat, a mandate to exhaust reasonable alternatives before using deadly force, a duty to intervene and report excessive force by other officers, and comprehensive reporting of force incidents. Each law enforcement agency and school entity will be required to adopt this model policy or develop an equivalent policy that meets the minimum standards, with potential financial penalties for non-compliance. The bill aims to establish clear guidelines for use of force, protect individual rights, and promote responsible and judicious use of force by law enforcement and school security personnel. The policy will be reviewed and updated at least every two years, and training programs will be annually reviewed to ensure consistency with the model policy.