2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 24 - GOVERNMENT - STATE (§§ 24-1-101 — 24-116-102) › PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENTS (§§ 24-30-101 — 24-36-306) › Article 33.5 - Public Safety (§§ 24-33.5-101 — 24-33.5-2704) › Part 5 - DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE (§§ 24-33.5-501 — 24-33.5-536) › Section 24-33.5-528 - Law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant program - committee - fund - reports - repeal

(1)
(a)
There is created in the division the law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant program, referred to in this section as the "program", to:
(I)
Assist law enforcement agencies in addressing workforce shortages;
(II)
Improve the training given to P.O.S.T.-certified peace officers; and
(III)
Improve relationships between law enforcement and impacted communities.
(b)
Eligible grant recipients include Colorado law enforcement agencies, including those serving rural municipalities and counties, tribal law enforcement agencies that serve fewer than fifty thousand residents; third-party membership organizations on behalf of a law enforcement agency; and any state institution of higher education, as defined in section
23-18-102 (10)
, that operates a law enforcement academy.
(c)
Grants may be awarded to:
(I)
Recruit, pay the tuition for, and train individuals to work in P.O.S.T.-certified law enforcement careers, which may include:
(A)
Pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for public safety careers;
(B)
Scholarships for training in public safety careers;
(C)
Tuition reimbursement for successful completion of training at P.O.S.T.-approved law enforcement training academies, for persons who were hired by a law enforcement agency after the effective date of this section and who complete at least one year of the agency's probation period;
(D)
Housing assistance while attending peace officer training and continuing education or other training programs if it is necessary because of the time or distance required to commute;
(E)
Make student loan payments for individuals' student loans related to the costs of becoming P.O.S.T.-certified peace officers;
(F)
Provide supplemental resources to rural and smaller law enforcement agencies that possess modest or no financial resources to recruit and retain qualified and trained P.O.S.T.-certified peace officers;
(G)
Providing, or assisting in the provision of, child care for peace officers;
(H)
Providing, or assisting in the provision of, cardiovascular and other health screenings; and
(I)
Any other strategies demonstrated to recruit, train, and retain high-quality P.O.S.T.-certified peace officers if deemed appropriate by the division;
(II)
Increase the number of persons receiving training as P.O.S.T.-certified and non-certified law enforcement personnel and improve the training provided to such persons;
(III)
Improve the training provided by entities approved for providing training by the peace officer standards and training board, referred to in this section as "approved P.O.S.T. board trainers", by enhancing their curriculum to expand mental health, implicit bias, cultural competency, critical incident, de-escalation, and trauma recovery training and increasing the availability of workforce mobility;
(IV)
Provide continuing education opportunities for P.O.S.T.-certified and non-certified law peace officers;
(V)
Increase activities intended to foster a more positive relationship between law enforcement and impacted communities;
(VI)
Provide opportunities for P.O.S.T-certified and non-certified law peace officers to receive training in equity, diversity, and inclusion;
(VII)
Create partnerships with schools, school districts, colleges, or universities to develop and implement internship or mentorship programs for students interested in a career in law enforcement;
(VIII)
Create partnerships with schools, school districts, or youth-service organizations to develop and implement youth programs to foster a positive relationship between youth and law enforcement, and to foster early interest in law enforcement careers;
(IX)
Develop and implement education campaigns for law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition assistance; and
(X)
Implement any other strategy demonstrated to recruit, train, and retain a high-quality and diverse law enforcement workforce if deemed appropriate by the division.
(d)
(I)
A law enforcement agency shall use the grant money to supplement the costs of recruitment and training. A local government or law enforcement agency may not use the grant money to supplant these costs.
(II)
A law enforcement agency may not use the grant award to cover the costs of eligible law enforcement officer salaries and benefits if the eligible law enforcement officers would have been hired by the law enforcement agency even if the division had not awarded the law enforcement agency the grant.
(III)
Law enforcement agencies that are awarded grants under the grant program may be subject to an audit by the state auditor to ensure that the grant money is used for the purposes articulated in this section.
(e)
The division shall administer the program pursuant to this section. Subject to available appropriations, the division shall make grant payments from money appropriated to the division by the general assembly for the program. The division shall reach out to and inform rural and small law enforcement agencies of the existence of the program.
(2)
The executive director shall:
(a)
Develop policies and procedures related to how and by when law enforcement agencies submit grant applications, performance metrics that grantees will be expected to provide, data and other relevant information required as part of their grant report described in subsection (5) of this section, and how grant money is disbursed, including establishing:
(I)
Minimum terms of service for individuals who receive or benefit from grant funds; and
(II)
Procedures to ensure at least twenty percent of the money allocated is distributed to law enforcement agencies in rural counties and municipalities with a population of fewer than fifty thousand persons, wholly located either east of Interstate 25 or west of the continental divide. If the number of eligible grants from rural applicants is less than twenty percent of all monetary awards, then the committee may reallocate the difference to other jurisdictions.
(b)
Appoint members of the law enforcement workforce advisory committee established pursuant to subsection (3) of this section;
(c)
After reviewing the recommendations of the law enforcement workforce advisory committee, review grant applications from law enforcement agencies and approved P.O.S.T. board trainers, select agencies and trainers to receive grants, and determine the amount of grant money for each agency and trainer; and
(d)
Develop goals for fostering better relationships between law enforcement and impacted communities.
(2.5)
The executive director may provide technical support deemed necessary by the executive director for application assistance to applicants.
(3)
(a)
There is created in the division the law enforcement workforce advisory committee, referred to in this section as the "committee". The executive director shall ensure that the composition of the committee is racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse and representative of the communities where crime is disproportionately high. The committee consists of the following twelve members:
(I)
The executive director who serves as the chair;
(II)
The following members appointed by the executive director:
(A)
An elected county sheriff or a sheriff's designee with expertise in the field of law enforcement recruitment, training, or retention;
(B)
A chief of police or a chief of police's designee with expertise in the field of law enforcement recruitment, training, or retention;
(C)
An individual representing an organization specializing in behavioral health issues or training to handle behavioral health issues, with experience in providing culturally responsive care in communities of color and underserved populations;
(D)
A victim's advocate, as defined in section
13-90-107 (1)(k)(II)
, with experience in providing culturally responsive services in communities of color, or a representative from a community-based victim services organization that specializes in serving victims of color;
(E)
A member of a community organization who is an expert in human resource issues with a specific emphasis on recruiting for equity, diversity, and inclusivity;
(F)
A member of the governor's justice assistance grant advisory board;
(G)
A representative of a federally recognized tribe with jurisdiction in Colorado; and
(H)
A representative from the Colorado community college system;
(III)
A member of the Colorado peace officers standards and training unit in the attorney general's office appointed by the attorney general;
(IV)
A member from a county with a population of fewer than fifty thousand people selected by a statewide organization of counties; and
(V)
A member appointed by a statewide organization of municipalities.
(b)
The members of the committee serve without compensation and without reimbursement for expenses.
(c)
The committee shall review applications for grants submitted pursuant to this section and make recommendations on which agencies should receive grants and the amount of each grant. In determining which entities should receive grants under this section, the advisory committee shall consider:
(I)
How the grant would improve and support P.O.S.T.-certified and non-certified peace officer recruitment and retention;
(II)
Compliance of the applicant with all relevant state and local laws or a demonstration of how the applicant will come into such compliance;
(III)
Sustainability of the project after the grant ends; and
(IV)
If the grant includes activities that are likely to foster a more positive relationship between law enforcement and the impacted community.
(4)
(a)
There is created in the state treasury the law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant fund, referred to in this section as the "fund", consisting of any money appropriated to the fund by the general assembly and any money received by the division from gifts, grants, or donations for the grant program. Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, the division may expend money from the fund for the direct and indirect costs associated with implementing the grant program.
(b)
The state treasurer may invest any money in the fund not expended for the purpose of this section as provided by law. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the investment and deposit of money in the fund to the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year remains in the fund and is not credited or transferred to the general fund or another fund.
(c)
The general assembly shall appropriate from the general fund to the fund three million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in each of the state fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24 for the program.
(d)
The division may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of this section. The division shall transmit all money received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the money to the fund.
(5)
(a)
On or before August 1, 2023, and each August 1 thereafter through 2026, each law enforcement agency and any other entity that receives a grant shall provide a financial and narrative report to the division describing how the grant funds were utilized, including data and other relevant information on performance metrics described in subsection (2) of this section. On or before October 1, 2023, and each October 1 thereafter through 2026, the division shall submit a summary of the reports to the judiciary committees of the house of representatives and senate, or to any successor committees, and provide a summary of the program during the hearings conducted pursuant to the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act", part 2 of article
7
of title
2
, following each year in which the program was in effect.
(b)
Notwithstanding the requirement in section
24-1-136 (11)(a)(I)
, the requirement to submit the report described in this subsection (5) continues indefinitely.
(6)
This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2027.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 125,§ 3, eff. 4/29/2024.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 443,§ 3, eff. 6/7/2023.
Added by 2022 Ch. 199, § 2, eff. 5/20/2022.