Title: Law Enforcement Immersive Training Act of 2019
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Law Enforcement Immersive Training Act of 2019
This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to develop an immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum that addresses topics such as de-escalation and use of deadly force.
It authorizes grants for entities to provide law enforcement personnel with training that is substantially similar to the curriculum.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2329 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2329

To develop an immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum 
         for law enforcement personnel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2019

   Mr. Ryan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To develop an immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum 
         for law enforcement personnel, 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 ``Law Enforcement Immersive Training 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Grassroots organizations like the National Association 
        for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil 
        Liberties Union, the National Council of La Raza, the National 
        Urban League, National Congress of American Indians, and the 
        National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium have monitored 
        the issue of police misconduct.
            (2) Membership associations like the Hispanic American 
        Police Command Officers Association, National Asian Pacific 
        Officers Association, National Black Police Association, 
        National Latino Peace Officers Association, National 
        Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Women in Law 
        Enforcement, Native American Law Enforcement Association, 
        International Association of Chiefs of Police, National 
        Sheriffs' Association, Fraternal Order of Police, and National 
        Association of School Resource Officers have worked for the 
        needs of Federal, State, local, and Indian tribal law 
        enforcement groups and with the civilian community on matters 
        of common interest.

SEC. 3. LAW ENFORCEMENT IMMERSIVE TRAINING CURRICULUM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting through the 
Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, shall 
develop an immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum for 
use in accordance with the grant program under section 4.
    (b) Curriculum.--In developing the curriculum under subsection (a), 
the Attorney General shall--
            (1) develop an immersive, real-life, scenario-based 
        training curriculum, which addresses--
                    (A) improving community-police relations;
                    (B) officer safety;
                    (C) officer resilience;
                    (D) situational awareness;
                    (E) physical and emotional responses to stress;
                    (F) critical decision-making and problem-solving;
                    (G) de-escalation;
                    (H) use of force and deadly force; and
                    (I) crisis intervention;
            (2) consult with relevant professional law enforcement 
        associations, community-based organizations, and defense and 
        national security agencies in the development and dissemination 
        of the curriculum;
            (3) provide expertise and technical assistance to entities 
        seeking to implement the curriculum;
            (4) evaluate best practices of immersive, real-life, 
        scenario-based training methods and curriculum content to 
        maintain state-of-the-art expertise in immersive, real-life, 
        scenario-based learning methodology; and
            (5) develop a certification process for entities that have 
        successfully implemented the curriculum.

SEC. 4. LAW ENFORCEMENT IMMERSIVE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the date that is one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting through 
the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, is 
authorized to make grants to States, units of local government, Indian 
tribal governments, other public and private entities, and multi-
jurisdictional or regional consortia to provide law enforcement 
personnel with access to an immersive, real-life, scenario-based 
training curriculum that is substantially similar to the curriculum 
developed under section 3.
    (b) Application.--An applicant seeking a grant under this section 
shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General 
may reasonably require.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) Grantee reports.--On the date that is one year after 
        receiving a grant under this section, each grant recipient 
        shall submit to the Attorney General a report on--
                    (A) any benefits of, and barriers to, delivering 
                the curriculum to law enforcement personnel; and
                    (B) recommendations for improving the access of law 
                enforcement personnel to immersive, real-life, 
                scenario-based training.
            (2) Office of community oriented policing services 
        reports.--Not later than one year after initially awarding 
        grants under this section, and annually thereafter, the 
        Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Office of 
        Community Oriented Policing Services, shall submit to Congress 
        a report on--
                    (A) the number of entities that received grants 
                under this section;
                    (B) the cumulative number and proportion of law 
                enforcement personnel in each State that received 
                training under the immersive, real-life, scenario-based 
                training curriculum described in section 3, or a 
                curriculum that is substantially similar to such 
                curriculum;
                    (C) any benefits of, and barriers to, delivering 
                such curriculum to law enforcement personnel;
                    (D) recommendations for improving the curriculum 
                developed under section 3; and
                    (E) recommendations for improving the grant program 
                under this section.
    (d) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this Act. The Attorney General shall carry out this Act 
using unobligated amounts that are otherwise made available to the 
Department of Justice.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Community-based organizations.--The term ``community-
        based organization'' means a grassroots organization that 
        monitors the issue of police misconduct and that has a national 
        presence and membership.
            (2) Immersive, real-life, scenario-based training.--The 
        term ``immersive, real-life, scenario-based training'' means 
        the use of simulations and role-playing to place law 
        enforcement personnel in an interactive learning environment to 
        replicate real-life scenarios or teach particular skills or 
        techniques.
            (3) Professional law enforcement association.--The term 
        ``professional law enforcement association'' means a law 
        enforcement membership association that works for the needs of 
        Federal, State, local, or Indian tribal law enforcement groups 
        and with the civilian community on matters of common interest.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 
        possession of the United States.
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