§ 42-28.2-8.3. Educational requirements — National certified mental health training.
(a) The commission on standards and training shall prepare and publish mandatory training
standards to provide instructions for police officers in recognizing the possible
existence of a mental disorder and handling of complaints involving mental health/substance
use emergencies, and victims, witnesses, or suspects with mental illness or substance
use disorders and shall develop guidelines for law enforcement responses to incidents
involving such persons. The course of instruction shall comply with the certified
National Council of Behavioral Health Mental Health First Aid Program (MHFA) for law
enforcement, or an International Certified Crisis Intervention Team (ICCIT) training
program, or other best practice training recognized by the International Association
of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Instruction and the guidelines shall include:
(1) Recognizing the possible existence of a mental illness or substance use disorders
for the benefit of victims and witnesses, the availability of civil remedies and community
resources for persons experiencing mental health emergencies, and the protection of
persons with mental illness or substance use disorders and for law enforcement officers
engaging such persons;
(2) Providing information to law enforcement officers to recognize the signs and symptoms
of common mental illnesses and substance use disorders, de-escalating crisis situations
safely, and initiating timely referral to mental health and substance use resources
available in the community.
(b) The commission shall include training in all curricula for recruits and in-service
trainees, in all police academies operating or certified by the commission. All law
enforcement trainees shall be certified by the National Council of Behavioral Health
in Mental Health First Aid, or an International Certified Crisis Intervention Team
(ICCIT) training program, or other best practice training recognized by the International
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
(c) All law enforcement trainees shall participate in the course of basic training for
law enforcement officers, established in this section, as part of their required certification
process.
(d) Training presenters shall include a behavioral health practitioner with expertise
in the delivery of direct services to individuals experiencing mental health or substance
use emergencies, and may also include police officers who are certified trainers in
the respective training being delivered and victims, witnesses, and suspects with
lived experience of mental illness and consumer-survivors i.e., individuals with mental
illness or substance use disorders. Training presentations may utilize the staff of
community-based mental health treatment facilities.
(e) The course of instruction, the learning and performance objectives, the standards
for training, and the guidelines shall be developed by the commission on standards
and training in consultation with groups and individuals having an interest and expertise
in the field of mental health and community-based treatment.
(f) The commission on standards and training periodically shall include within its in-service
training curriculum a course of instruction on handling complaints from or against
persons with mental illness or substance use disorders, consistent with the provisions
of subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2).
(g) As used in this section, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Consumer-survivor� shall mean any individual with lived experience of a mental health
condition or substance use disorder.
(2) "Law enforcement officer� shall mean any officer of a municipal police department
or a department of the state.