Florida Senate - 2018                                    SB 1148
       
       
        
       By Senator Thurston
       
       
       
       
       
       33-01227-18                                           20181148__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to de-escalation training; defining
    3         the term “de-escalation training”; creating the De
    4         escalation Training Pilot Program within the
    5         Department of Law Enforcement; requiring the
    6         department to administer the program and to conduct an
    7         open and competitive process for awarding grants to
    8         establish local programs in a specified number of
    9         counties and municipalities; requiring each program to
   10         implement and conduct de-escalation training for law
   11         enforcement officers within its jurisdiction and to
   12         submit annual reports by a certain date to the
   13         department; requiring the department to submit annual
   14         reports to the Governor and the Legislature;
   15         authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
   16         for termination of the pilot program; providing an
   17         effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. De-escalation Training Pilot Program.—
   22         (1) As used in this act, the term “de-escalation training”
   23  means methods and tactics used by law enforcement officers to
   24  decrease the severity or volatility of encounters with members
   25  of the public when use of force or immediate action is not
   26  mandated or required to protect the safety of law enforcement
   27  officers or the public safety.
   28         (2) The De-escalation Training Pilot Program is created
   29  within the Department of Law Enforcement, to be funded by the
   30  Office of Criminal Justice Grants within the department.
   31         (3) The department shall administer the program and shall
   32  conduct an open and competitive process for awarding grants to
   33  establish six local programs, three of them in counties and
   34  three of them in municipalities located in other counties, in
   35  diverse areas of the state.
   36         (4) Each local program shall implement and conduct de
   37  escalation training for law enforcement officers within its
   38  jurisdiction and shall submit a report to the department by each
   39  July 1 on the status of implementation of the program and the
   40  results of the training for the previous 12 months. The
   41  department shall compile the information submitted by the
   42  programs and submit an annual report to the Governor, the
   43  President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
   44  Representatives, and appropriate substantive committees of the
   45  Legislature.
   46         (5) The department may adopt rules to administer this act.
   47         (6) The program expires on June 30, 2021.
   48         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.