To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide funding for innovations in community policing, mental health care, and community safety, and for other purposes.
This bill amends federal law to expand how police departments can use existing federal grant funding to support community policing programs focused on mental health crises. Specifically, it allows police departments to use Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants to establish or expand three types of programs: mobile crisis teams staffed with mental health professionals and paramedics who respond to mental health emergencies, co-responder programs that pair police officers with behavioral health clinicians, and case management teams that follow up with frequent users of emergency services to connect them with treatment and community resources. The bill aims to help police de-escalate situations involving people in mental health crises, reduce unnecessary law enforcement interactions, and better connect vulnerable individuals with appropriate services rather than criminal justice responses. The legislation affects local police departments nationwide that receive federal COPS grants, as well as individuals experiencing mental health crises, homelessness, or substance use disorders. No new funding is authorized; instead, the bill expands the eligible uses of existing federal grants that police departments already receive.
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