Val Demings co-sponsors bill to educate law enforcement on PTSD and TBI

Congresswoman Val Demings is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide additional training for law enforcement dealing with people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Demings is among four lawmakers supporting the bipartisan legislation.  Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), John Rutherford (R-FL-04), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), and TJ Cox (D-CA-21) are all co-sponsoring the bill.

News 96.5 WDBO spoke to Demings about the bill.  She said the bill will help to educate law enforcement officers on how to better communicate with people suffering from PTSD and TBI.

“Many times law enforcement officers encounter persons who are mentally ill or people who are experiencing traumatic stress disorder or brain disorder...and so we need to make sure that law enforcement officers are able to better recognize those signs and more effectively deal with individuals that they encounter so law enforcement officers remain safe, as well as those individuals remain safe,” said Demings.

Specifically, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act would:

Direct the Department of Justice through the Bureau of Justice Assistance to solicit best practices and develop crisis intervention training tools for law enforcement and first responders that provides information on the conditions and symptoms of traumatic brain injury, acquired brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and techniques to improve interactions with individuals displaying symptoms of TBI or PTSD.

Require that this training be made available as part of the Police Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit, which is a no-cost online training tool that provides resources for law enforcement agencies partnering with mental health providers to effectively respond to calls for service, improve outcomes for people with mental illness, and advance public safety. 

Authorize an additional $4 million per fiscal year for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program to fund grants to develop and implement this training.

Require a CDC study for law enforcement and first responders who may have suffered a TBI.