Bill > AB1013

This bill amends existing law regarding peace officer training on behavioral health by expanding the requirements for a mandatory continuing training course focused on interactions with individuals experiencing mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorders. The bill authorizes the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to partner with local behavioral health departments, community-based organizations, and nonprofits to develop and update the training course. The course must be at least three hours long, include scenario-based learning, address stigma, and cover topics such as understanding mental health conditions, recognizing indicators of these conditions, appropriate response techniques, conflict resolution, communication strategies, and available support resources. The bill requires all law enforcement officers at the supervisor level or below who are assigned to patrol duties to complete this training course, and extends the implementation deadline to August 1, 2026. Recognizing that this additional training will impose new costs on local law enforcement agencies, the bill includes a provision that if the Commission on State Mandates determines the bill creates state-mandated local program costs, those costs will be reimbursed according to existing statutory procedures.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1013