What's happening
This bill requires crisis intervention training for police officers in New York City on responding to mental illness and substance abuse crises.
Why it matters
Mandates formal collaboration between police and mental health/addiction agencies. , ensuring that police training and response protocols are shaped by input from subject matter experts, which may improve the appropriateness and effectiveness of crisis interventions.
Requires both new and veteran police officers to receive ongoing education. on handling situations involving mental illness or substance use disorder, not limiting this to just new recruits, which could help change departmental culture and reduce harmful or outdated response patterns.
Calls for periodic retraining recommendations. , acknowledging that best practices in crisis response can evolve and that officers need updated instruction, potentially leading to better outcomes for individuals in crisis and fewer negative incidents involving law enforcement.
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Who cares
New and veteran police officers in cities of one million or more
The bill would require crisis-response policies to provide for their training on encounters involving people with mental illness or substance abuse disorder.
People with mental illness or substance abuse disorder
The bill would establish protocols for police responses to crisis situations involving them.
The council responsible for police training standards
The bill would require it to develop and distribute crisis-response policies and recommend ongoing training and periodic retraining to the governor.
Mental hygiene and addiction services commissioners
The bill would require the council to consult them when developing crisis-response policies and procedures.
Headline styles
Train Police on Crisis Response
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to codes
- Referred to codes
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1216
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to crisis intervention training
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 840 of the executive law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. The council shall, in addition:
(a) Develop, maintain and disseminate, in consultation with the commissioner of mental hygiene and the commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports, written policies and procedures regarding protocols for response to crisis situations involving persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder. Such policies and procedures shall make provisions for the education and training of all new and veteran police officers in any city having a population of one million or more on the protocols for response to crisis situations involving persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder; and
(b) Recommend to the governor, rules and regulations with respect to the establishment and implementation on an ongoing basis of a training program for all current and new police officers in any city having a population of one million or more regarding the policies and procedures established pursuant to this subdivision, along with recommendations for periodic retraining of such officers.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03232-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to crisis intervention training
Purpose or general idea of bill
To expand the current crisis intervention training that is optional to all New York Police Department officers. By making crisis intervention training mandatory, the bill aims to protect officers and those with mental illnesses who are experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one of the bill amends the relevant provisions of the executive law to require the council to develop, maintain, and disseminate, in consultation with the commissioner of mental hygiene and the commission- er of the office of addiction services and supports, procedures on how to interact with people with mental illness during a crisis. The bill also requires the creation of a training program to train all current and future NYPD officers in crisis intervention.
Justification
The 2018 shooting of Saheed Vassell, an unarmed man suffering from bipo- lar disorder, is one example in a long string of shootings of the mentally ill by police officers. Some studies estimate that as many as one quarter of the people shot by police officers had a mental illness of some sort. Crisis Intervention Training can not only reduce these shootings but lower the risk of injury for officers facing people expe- riencing a psychiatric emergency. Mandating this training for all law enforcement officers in major cities can be the first step towards keep- ing everyone safe.
Prior legislative history
2019-20: Referred to Finance
2021-22: Referred to Codes
2023-24: Referred to Codes
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
Ninety days after becoming a law, with provisions.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.