Senate Bill sb0670

    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 670

    By Senator Bullard





    39-440-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Crisis Intervention Team

  3         program; providing for adoption of the program

  4         as a pilot program; directing the Louis de la

  5         Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the

  6         University of South Florida to conduct a study

  7         of the Crisis Intervention Team (C.I.T.)

  8         program; providing the purpose of the study;

  9         providing for a report; providing for funding;

10         providing an effective date.

11  

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

13  

14         Section 1.  It is the intent of the Legislature to

15  reduce the number of arrests for people who have serious

16  mental illnesses and reduce the use of force-related injuries

17  involving people who have serious mental illnesses. Therefore,

18  the Department of Law Enforcement may adopt the Crisis

19  Intervention Team (C.I.T.) program as a pilot program to

20  provide lessons for its statewide use by other law enforcement

21  agencies.

22         Section 2.  The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health

23  Institute at the University of South Florida shall conduct a

24  study of the Crisis Intervention Team (C.I.T.) program being

25  used by the members of the Florida C.I.T. Coalition, which is

26  a coalition of several counties involving law enforcement

27  agencies, community providers, and families and consumers

28  developing the core standards for a consistent C.I.T. program

29  for the state. The purpose of the study is to look at the

30  effectiveness of the C.I.T. program related to a reduction in

31  arrests for people who have serious mental illnesses as well

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 670
    39-440-06




 1  as an increase in jail diversion activities, a reduction in

 2  the use of force-related injuries, and identification of those

 3  core elements of the C.I.T. program that make it an effective

 4  police response. The institute, in conjunction with the

 5  Florida C.I.T. Coalition, shall submit a report of the

 6  findings of its study, which must include recommendations as

 7  to whether the C.I.T. program should be adopted by all law

 8  enforcement agencies as a best practice, recommendations as to

 9  the resources necessary to assist communities in adopting the

10  C.I.T. program, and recommendations as to other training needs

11  for law enforcement agencies related to people who have

12  serious mental illnesses, to the Legislature and the

13  Department of Law Enforcement by July 1, 2007.

14         Section 3.  The Department of Law Enforcement is

15  authorized to use up to $175,000 to contract with the Louis de

16  la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute to implement this

17  act.

18         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

19  law.

20  

21            *****************************************

22                          SENATE SUMMARY

23    Provides for adoption of the Crisis Intervention Team
      program (C.I.T.) as a pilot program. Directs the Louis de
24    la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the
      University of South Florida to conduct a study of the
25    C.I.T. program.

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.