Senate Bill 453: Supporting Law Enforcement

• Appropriates $200,000 annually for the 2023-2025 biennium to the Department of Justice to hire two full-time grant writers to assist law enforcement agencies in identifying and applying for available grant funds.

• Allocates $250,000 annually for the 2023-2025 biennium in grants to law enforcement agencies for community policing initiatives.

• Provides $500,000 in recurring funds for fiscal year 2024-2025 for grants to law enforcement officers demonstrating exemplary service and grants to agencies meeting racial or gender diversity benchmarks, capped at $10,000 per grant.

• Establishes minimum standards for law enforcement hiring and training, including minimum age of 21 years, mental health screening protocols within one year prior to certification for new officers, and annual mental health screenings including post-traumatic event evaluations.

• Requires strangleholds, lateral vascular neck restraints, and carotid restraints to be considered deadly force and mandates law enforcement use minimum necessary force with de-escalation tactics when possible; directs Attorney General to develop uniform use of force policies by December 1, 2024.

• Appropriates $1,000,000 annually for the 2023-2025 biennium for mental health screening grants and $1,000,000 annually for the 2023-2025 biennium for grants to fund detective and investigative officer positions focused on Class D felonies and higher.