Amendment #23, as changed to H4860

Inclusive police training regarding autistic persons and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities

Mr. Tucker of Salem moves to amend the bill, as amended, by striking out section 22 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

SECTION 22. Said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after section 116G the following 2 sections:-             

Section 116H. (a) The committee on police training and certification, established in section 4 of chapter 6E, shall establish and develop an in-service training program designed to train school resource officers, as defined in section 37P of chapter 71. Such program shall include training on: (i) the ways in which legal standards regarding police interaction and arrest procedures differ for juveniles compared to adults; (ii) child and adolescent cognitive development, which shall include instruction on common child and adolescent behaviors, actions and reactions as well as the impact of trauma, mental illness and developmental disabilities on child and adolescent development and behavior; (iii) engagement and de-escalation tactics that are specifically effective with youth; and (iv) strategies for resolving conflict and diverting youth in lieu of making an arrest.

(b) The course of instruction, the learning and performance objectives and the standards for training developed pursuant to this section shall be developed in consultation with experts on child and adolescent development and child trauma and with educators and attorneys experienced in juvenile and education law.

Section 116I: The committee on police training and certification, established in section 4 of chapter 6E, shall establish and develop within the recruit basic training curriculum a program for regional and municipal police training schools for the training of law enforcement officers and correction officers in the commonwealth in appropriate interactions with persons on the autism spectrum and those with other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program shall include training for law enforcement response to individuals on the autism spectrum and those with other intellectual and developmental disabilities who are victims or witnesses to a crime, or suspected or convicted of a crime.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #23, as changed to H4860

Inclusive police training regarding autistic persons and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities