Amends TCA Title 38.

CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING OF OFFICERS<br /> <br /> Present law requires the Tennessee peace officer standards and training commission to issue a certificate of compliance to any person who meets the qualifications for employment and satisfactorily completes an approved recruit training program. Present law further requires that all officers employed on and after July 1, 2017, must:<br /> <br /> (1) Enroll in an approved recruit training program within six months of their date of employment;<br /> <br /> (2) Successfully complete an approved recruit training program; and<br /> <br /> (3) Successfully complete an annual in-service training session appropriate for their rank and responsibilities.<br /> <br /> This bill revises the above provision to provide that the listed requirements apply to officers employed on and after January 1, 2024, instead of July 1, 2017; and to:<br /> <br /> (1) Clarify that the annual in-service training session described in (3) must include de-escalating training; and<br /> <br /> (2) Require that officers be certified annually by a Tennessee licensed healthcare provider qualified in the psychiatric or psychological field as being free from any impairment, as set forth in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association at the time of the examination, that would, in the professional judgment of the examiner, affect the applicant's ability to perform an essential function of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation.<br /> <br /> This bill requires each law enforcement agency to annually select, at random, at least 5 percent of the agency's employees who are certified law enforcement officers to undergo a mental health evaluation as described above, in addition to the required initial and annual mental health evaluations. If a law enforcement agency has fewer than 20 employees who are certified law enforcement officers, then this bill requires the agency to select one employee to undergo the mental health evaluation required by this bill.<br /> <br /> REQUIRED POLICIES<br /> <br /> By January 1, 2024, this bill requires each law enforcement agency to adopt:<br /> <br /> (1) A policy that limits the circumstances under which a law enforcement officer may pursue a suspect or person of interest using a motor vehicle. The policy must include a requirement that an officer notify the field supervisor when initiating such a pursuit; and<br /> <br /> (2) A policy for traffic stops, which must state the reasonable expectations that a law enforcement officer has for the conduct of the driver and occupants of a motor vehicle that has been stopped and the reasonable expectations a member of the public may have for a law enforcement officer performing a traffic stop. The law enforcement agency must publish a copy of the policy on the agency's website and any social media accounts the agency maintains, if any, and provide a copy to high schools within the agency's jurisdiction for use in driver's education courses.<br />