Sec. 1701.352. CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS. (a) The commission shall recognize, prepare, or administer continuing education programs for officers and county jailers.

(b) The commission shall require a state, county, special district, or municipal agency that appoints or employs peace officers to provide each peace officer with a training program at least once every 48 months that is approved by the commission and consists of:

(1) topics selected by the agency; and

(2) for an officer holding only a basic proficiency certificate, not more than 20 hours of education and training that contain curricula incorporating the learning objectives developed by the commission regarding:

(A) civil rights, racial sensitivity, and cultural diversity;

(B) de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques to facilitate interaction with persons with mental impairments;

(C) de-escalation techniques to facilitate interaction with members of the public, including techniques for limiting the use of force resulting in bodily injury; and

(D) unless determined by the agency head to be inconsistent with the officer's assigned duties:

(i) the recognition, documentation, and investigation of cases that involve child abuse or neglect, family violence, and sexual assault, including the use of best practices and trauma-informed techniques to effectively recognize, document, and investigate those cases; and

(ii) issues concerning sex offender characteristics.

(c) A course provided under Subsection (b) may use instructional materials developed by the agency or its trainers or by entities having training agreements with the commission in addition to materials included in curricula developed by the commission.

(d) A peace officer who is appointed or will be appointed to the officer's first supervisory position must receive in-service training on supervision as part of the course provided for the officer under Subsection (b) not earlier than the 12th month before the date of that appointment or later than the first anniversary of the date of that appointment.

(e) The commission may require a state, county, special district, or municipal agency that appoints or employs a reserve law enforcement officer, county jailer, or public security officer to provide each of those persons with education and training in civil rights, racial sensitivity, and cultural diversity at least once every 48 months.

(f) Training in documentation of cases required by Subsection (b) shall include instruction in:

(1) making a written account of the extent of injuries sustained by the victim of an alleged offense;

(2) recording by photograph or videotape the area in which an alleged offense occurred and the victim's injuries;

(3) recognizing and recording a victim's statement that may be admissible as evidence in a proceeding concerning the matter about which the statement was made; and

(4) recognizing and recording circumstances indicating that a victim may have been assaulted in the manner described by Section 22.01(b)(2)(B), Penal Code.

(g) The training and education program on de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques to facilitate interaction with persons with mental impairments under Subsection (b)(2)(B) may not be provided as an online course. The commission shall:

(1) determine best practices for interacting with persons with mental impairments, in consultation with the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas; and

(2) review the education and training program under Subsection (b)(2)(B) at least once every 24 months.

(h) The commission shall require a state, county, special district, or municipal agency that employs telecommunicators to provide each telecommunicator with 24 hours of crisis communications instruction approved by the commission. The instruction must be provided on or before the first anniversary of the telecommunicator's first day of employment.

(i) A state agency, county, special district, or municipality that appoints or employs a telecommunicator shall provide training to the telecommunicator of not less than 20 hours during each 24-month period of employment. The training must be approved by the commission and consist of topics selected by the commission and the employing entity.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1157, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1172 (H.B. 3389), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2009.

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 855 (H.B. 3823), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2011.

Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 968 (H.B. 1951), Sec. 8, eff. January 1, 2014.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 418 (H.B. 3211), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 950 (S.B. 1849), Sec. 4.04, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 76 (S.B. 971), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 107 (S.B. 586), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.