2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FIVE - Internal Security (§§ 1 — 3356) › Subtitle 3 - Security Generally (§§ 3101 — 3356) › PART I - Protection and Surveillance (§§ 3101 — 3356) › Chapter 331 - Puerto Rico Police of 1996 (§§ 3101 — 3142) › § 3118a - Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit—Creation and powers

A Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit, attached to the Puerto Rico Police, is hereby created in every police area.
Every Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit shall be constituted by three (3) regular members, to wit, a clinical psychologist, a social worker, and a part-time psychiatrist, from among which the Police Superintendent shall appoint the Unit Director. Furthermore, every unit shall have an administrative assistant and the necessary clerical personnel according to the needs of each particular police area.
The Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit is charged with periodically conducting a psychosocial evaluation of every police officer in every police area and providing counseling and treatment to those police officers involved in cases of domestic violence or civil rights violations who face personal or work-related difficulties that affect their emotional stability, productivity, and interpersonal relations and when, in the discharge of their duties, face situations involving violence. This unit may intervene at the request of the affected police officer or of the Unit Director, who shall notify in writing the reasons for his/her request.
Every unit shall meet as many times as necessary to determine which cases should be subject to a treatment program and which should be referred to the Medical Evaluation Board. Decisions shall be made by a majority of the regular members and be strictly confidential.
The Director of every unit shall refer to the Medical Evaluation Board those cases where the temporary separation or retirement from service of police officers is recommended. It shall also refer those cases involving police officers that refuse to undergo treatment according to the recommendation of the Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit (U.T.E.S.S., Spanish acronym). In the event that a referred person insists on refusing to undergo treatment, the Superintendent shall be notified and shall determine the sanctions to be imposed for such noncompliance.
In addition to the foregoing, the Puerto Rico Police Superintendent is hereby empowered to enter into collaboration agreements, through every existing Psychosocial Treatment and Evaluation Unit, with the public or private schools of psychology, psychiatry, social work, and professions related to mental healthcare of Puerto Rico, in order to develop and implement mental health service programs for the members of the Puerto Rico Police. Students of psychology, psychiatry, social work, and other related programs may participate in these programs, rendering services to the members of the Puerto Rico Police under the supervision of a professional authorized to provide mental healthcare services in Puerto Rico.
History —June 10, 1996, No. 53, added as § 19A on Jan. 14, 1999, No. 48, § 1; Dec. 3, 2007, No. 171, § 2; Aug. 6, 2008, No. 168, § 1; Aug. 11, 2011, No. 177, § 1.