Whitehouse Cheers Senate Passage of Bipartisan Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act

Press Release

The U.S. Senate this week unanimously passed the bipartisan Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act co-authored by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to improve training for police officers who interact with individuals dealing with mental health, behavioral health, and substance use issues.

"Police officers serve on the frontlines in their communities, and we must ensure they have the training to handle situations involving complex mental and behavioral health issues safely and with compassion. This robust training can boost public safety and prevent the kinds of encounters that too often lead to tragedy," said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I'm grateful to Senator Cornyn for his partnership, and I urge the House to take up this important bill that will save lives in communities across the country."

"By providing funding for law enforcement agencies to train their officers in de-escalation tactics, this bill will give law enforcement better tools to support those experiencing mental health crises," said Senator Cornyn. "I applaud the Senate for moving this legislation forward and urge my colleagues in the House to do the same."

Underfunded and overworked mental and behavioral health systems often leave police to intervene with people who urgently need mental or behavioral health care. But many police departments lack resources to train officers on how to deal with such situations, leading to encounters that are dangerous for everyone involved.

The senators' bill would help law enforcement personnel respond more effectively to people suffering mental or behavioral health crises, including using alternatives to force and de-escalation tactics and working with mental health professionals on crisis intervention teams. It would empower police and the mental health professionals working with them to connect individuals to mental and behavioral health services in their community to create better public safety outcomes. In addition to protecting officers and communities, these programs reduce arrests and prison time for people in need of mental or behavioral health treatment.

The bipartisan Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act:

Requires the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to develop curricula in the training topics, or identify existing curricula, in consultation with law enforcement, mental health organizations, family advocacy organizations, and civil rights and civil liberties groups, among other stakeholders;
Authorizes $124 million in grant funding over four years for training, including scenario-based exercises and evaluative assessments; and
Requires the National Institute of Justice and the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the implementation of the program and the effect of the training, to ensure that the curricula have a tangible impact on law enforcement encounters with people in crisis, and identify possible changes that would further improve outcomes.
Last month, Whitehouse and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced $1.2 million in federal funding to support Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for police departments across Rhode Island. As part of the program expansion, Thundermist Health Center, in partnership with the Rhode Island Police Chief's Association, will equip local police departments with the tools to divert people in crisis away from the justice system and connect them with the mental and behavioral health resources they need. Thundermist will also help create workflows for 911 and local dispatchers to ensure CIT-trained officers and, if appropriate, an embedded police clinician are sent to calls on an as-needed basis.

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