SMART Community Policing Act
Bill: S.4513 | Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Supporting Mental Assistance Responder Teams Community Policing Act or the SMART Community Policing Act
This bill expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to specifically allow funds to be used for mobile crisis teams, behavioral health personnel, and case management or outreach teams to help deescalate situations between law enforcement and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 provide funding for innovations in community policing, mental health 
          care, and community safety, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Mental Assistance 
Responder Teams Community Policing Act'' or the ``SMART Community 
Policing Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to strength community policing programs 
to--
            (1) de-escalate interactions with law enforcement officers 
        to achieve better outcomes for non-violent individuals 
        experiencing crisis or trauma relating to mental health issues, 
        poverty, homelessness, and substance use disorders;
            (2) build collaborative partnerships to connect individuals 
        with mental health services and community resources; and
            (3) produce better outcomes for communities and law 
        enforcement officers by delivering the appropriate treatment 
        and other support services to individuals in need.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZED USES OF COPS FUNDS.

    Section 1701(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (22), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (23), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(24) to establish or expand a mobile crisis team program 
        to--
                    ``(A) hire skilled mental health professionals and 
                paramedics to--
                            ``(i) respond to--
                                    ``(I) certain 911 dispatch calls at 
                                the request of law enforcement 
                                officers; and
                                    ``(II) community members requesting 
                                assistance directly;
                            ``(ii) stabilize encounters between law 
                        enforcement officers and individuals 
                        experiencing a mental or behavioral health 
                        crisis; and
                            ``(iii) assume responsibility for securing 
                        mental health services for individuals, 
                        including individuals in crisis who may need 
                        further evaluation and treatment;
                    ``(B) train law enforcement officers partnering 
                with mental health professionals and paramedics;
                    ``(C) use a mobile unit to facilitate the response 
                of law enforcement officers and mental health 
                professionals and paramedics to community members 
                experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis; and
                    ``(D) hire other personnel;
            ``(25) to establish or expand a co-responder program under 
        which--
                    ``(A) a trained law enforcement officer is paired 
                with a behavioral health clinician or paramedic to--
                            ``(i) de-escalate situations involving a 
                        mental health crisis;
                            ``(ii) connect individuals with mental 
                        illness to appropriate services; and
                            ``(iii) provide other effective and 
                        efficient responses to individuals with mental 
                        illness; and
                    ``(B) additional personnel, including law 
                enforcement officers and case managers, may be hired; 
                and
            ``(26) to establish or expand a case management and 
        outreach team--
                    ``(A) to follow up with individuals experiencing a 
                mental or behavioral health crisis to--
                            ``(i) connect those individuals with mental 
                        health services and community resources; and
                            ``(ii) help those individuals abide by 
                        treatment plans and meet other 
                        responsibilities, such as work, school, and 
                        training;
                    ``(B) to develop specific solutions for, and 
                provide support resources to, individuals who 
                frequently use emergency services to reduce repeat 
                interactions between the individuals described in 
                subparagraph (A) and law enforcement officers or mental 
                health professionals and paramedics; and
                    ``(C) which may be established as a part of a 
                mobile crisis team program under paragraph (24), a co-
                responder program under paragraph (25), or an 
                independent team.''.
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