Police reform and accountability deadlines, funding tweaked

A police reform and accountability package that became law during a July special session received a few, largely technical, changes in an August special session.

Sponsored by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), and effective Aug. 15, 2020, the law clarifies language and adjusts deadlines for when the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board must take action or require certain training. It also amends the purpose of a board appropriation.

The changes do not add or undo any provisions in the initial law.

The law does five things:

• extends the deadline for the first meeting of the newly created Ensuring Police Excellence and Improving Community Relations Advisory Council from Sept. 1, 2020, to Oct. 15, 2020 because members do not have to be appointed until Sept. 15, 2020;

• pushes back the annual start date when a chief law enforcement officer must submit certain alleged misconduct data to the POST Board from Jan. 15, 2021, to July 1, 2021, as the data system to receive that will not be ready until then;

• clarifies that in-service training in crisis intervention and mental illness crises, conflict management and mediation, and recognizing and valuing community diversity and cultural differences must be provided by an approved entity beginning July 1, 2021. It also clarifies that a peace officer with a license renewal date before June 30, 2022, and who received mandated training prior to July 1, 2021, will not be required to receive the training until the officer’s next three-year licensing cycle;

• due to logistical challenges, extends from July 2021 to July 2022 the date by which a person is ineligible to take the peace officer licensing examination unless the individual has received mandatory training for interacting with someone who has autism; and

• a $145,000 allocation to the board in fiscal year 2021 can be used to staff and meet board requirements related to training in crisis intervention and mental illness crises, conflict management and mediation, and recognizing and valuing community diversity and cultural differences. Previously, the money was to reimburse law enforcement agencies for intervention and mental illness crisis training expenses.

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