Bill Text: TX HB3778 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a border operations training program for peace officers employed by local law enforcement agencies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-29 - Left pending in committee [HB3778 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB3778-Introduced.html
| 87R8636 JCG-D | ||
| By: Holland | H.B. No. 3778 | |
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| relating to a border operations training program for peace officers | ||
| employed by local law enforcement agencies. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 411.02096 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 411.02096. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. (a) | ||
| The department, in coordination with local law enforcement | ||
| agencies, shall establish and administer a border operations | ||
| training program for peace officers employed by local law | ||
| enforcement agencies that will prepare the officers to: | ||
| (1) collaborate and cooperate with and assist any law | ||
| enforcement agency in the interdiction, investigation, and | ||
| prosecution of criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) collaborate and cooperate with and assist district | ||
| attorneys, county attorneys, the border prosecution unit, and other | ||
| prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of allegations of | ||
| criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region. | ||
| (b) The training program under Subsection (a) must include: | ||
| (1) information on: | ||
| (A) criminal activity occurring along the | ||
| Texas-Mexico border, including drug trafficking and trafficking of | ||
| persons and other activity carried out by cartels, transnational | ||
| gangs, and other groups engaged in organized criminal activity; and | ||
| (B) methods for identifying northbound, | ||
| southbound, and intrastate criminal activity associated with drug | ||
| trafficking, trafficking of persons, and other organized criminal | ||
| activity; | ||
| (2) best practices for investigating and prosecuting | ||
| the criminal activity described by Subdivision (1) and securing the | ||
| Texas-Mexico border; and | ||
| (3) an overview of the department's operations at the | ||
| Texas-Mexico border, including any collaboration with the United | ||
| States Customs and Border Protection. | ||
| (c) The department shall identify opportunities for a peace | ||
| officer described by Subsection (a) to assist in the department's | ||
| duties related to border operations. The department may authorize | ||
| the officer to assist in carrying out those duties. | ||
| (d) A peace officer authorized by the department to assist | ||
| in carrying out duties related to the department's border | ||
| operations as described by Subsection (c) is not entitled to | ||
| compensation from the department for the assistance provided. | ||
| (e) The department may partner with federal agencies in | ||
| administering the training program under Subsection (a) and | ||
| facilitating any assistance provided by a peace officer under | ||
| Subsection (c). | ||
| SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 1701.359 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 1701.359. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. The | ||
| commission may: | ||
| (1) recognize, or with the consent of the Department | ||
| of Public Safety administer or assist in administering, the border | ||
| operations training program established under Section 411.02096, | ||
| Government Code, as a continuing education program for officers; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) credit an officer who successfully completes the | ||
| program described by Subdivision (1) with the appropriate number of | ||
| continuing education hours. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
