Police safety, de-escalation training bill cosponsored by Tillis

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) recently introduced a bipartisan bill that would develop a scenario-based training curriculum for law enforcement personnel to improve how they serve their communities.

“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every single day to keep our communities safe, and they deserve training and resources that help them handle the most difficult situations,” said Sen. Tillis, who cosponsored the Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-Escalation Act of 2023, S. 2637, alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

If enacted, S. 2637 would require the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to create the training curriculum to address: improving community-police relations; officer safety and resilience; situational awareness; physical and emotional responses to stress; critical decision-making and problem-solving; de-escalation; use of force and deadly force; and crisis intervention, according to the bill’s text.

“This bipartisan legislation will help law enforcement receive training to de-escalate a host of crises, including those involving people with mental health or drug dependency issues,” Sen. Tillis said. “Improved training will result in improved safety for both law enforcement officers and the people they regularly interact with.”

The bill also would create a grant program to support public and private entities that train law enforcement officers using an immersive curriculum that meets the same standards, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Tillis’ staff.

S. 2637, which is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.