Bill Text: FL S1402 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Criminal Justice Standards and Training
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2021-04-30 - Died in Criminal Justice [S1402 Detail]
Download: Florida-2021-S1402-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1402 By Senator Thurston 33-01492-21 20211402__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to criminal justice standards and 3 training; amending s. 943.125, F.S.; revising 4 legislative intent; requiring that a voluntary 5 accreditation program be mandatory; requiring the 6 Department of Law Enforcement to establish a review 7 process to assist agencies that fail to obtain or 8 maintain accreditation; providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Subsections (1) through (5) of section 943.125, 13 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 14 943.125 Accreditation of state and local law enforcement 15 agencies, correctional facilities, public agency offices of 16 inspectors general, and certain pretrial diversion programs; 17 intent.— 18 (1) It is the intent of the legislature that law 19 enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, public agency 20 offices of inspectors general, and those agencies offering 21 pretrial diversion programs within offices of the state 22 attorneys, county government, or sheriff’s offices in the state 23 must be upgraded and strengthened through the adoption of 24 meaningful standards of operation for those agencies and their 25 functions. 26 (2)It is the further intent of the Legislature that These 27 agencies shallvoluntarilyadopt standards designed to promote 28 enhanced professionalism: 29 (a) For law enforcement, to maximize the capability of law 30 enforcement agencies to enforce the law and prevent and control 31 criminal activities. 32 (b) For correctional facilities, to maintain best practices 33 for the care, custody, and control of inmates. 34 (c) Within public agency offices of inspector general, to 35 promote more effective scrutiny of public agency operations and 36 greater accountability of those serving in those agencies. 37 (d) In the operation and management of pretrial diversion 38 programs offered by and through the state attorney’s offices, 39 county government, or sheriff’s offices. 40 (3) TheLegislature also intends to encourage the41continuation of a voluntarystate accreditation program shallto42 facilitate the enhanced professionalism identified in subsection 43 (2). Other than the staff support by the department as 44 authorized in subsection (5), the accreditation program must be 45 independent of any law enforcement agency, the Department of 46 Corrections, the Florida Sheriffs Association, or the Florida 47 Police Chiefs Association. 48 (4) The law enforcement accreditation program must address, 49 at a minimum, the following aspects of law enforcement: 50 (a) Vehicle pursuits. 51 (b) Seizure and forfeiture of contraband articles. 52 (c) Recording and processing citizens’ complaints. 53 (d) Use of force. 54 (e) Traffic stops. 55 (f) Handling natural and manmade disasters. 56 (g) Special operations. 57 (h) Prisoner transfer. 58 (i) Collection and preservation of evidence. 59 (j) Recruitment and selection. 60 (k) Officer training. 61 (l) Performance evaluations. 62 (m) Law enforcement disciplinary procedures and rights. 63 (n) Use of criminal investigative funds. 64 (5)(a) Subject to available funding, the department shall 65 employ and assign adequate support staff to the Commission for 66 Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc., and the Florida 67 Corrections Accreditation Commission, Inc., in support of the 68 accreditation programs established in this section. 69 (b) The department shall establish a review process to 70 assist an agency that has failed to obtain or maintain 71 accreditation as required under this section. The process shall 72 require such an agency to submit an accreditation action plan 73 and any agency that fails to demonstrate progress in developing 74 or implementing any such accreditation action plan to enter into 75 a memorandum of understanding with the department. 76 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.