State Minority Leader, and former law enforcement officer, Sen. Jay Costa (D-43rd District) recently announced that he would introduce measures designed to bolster police training initiatives in the wake of officer-involved shootings across the commonwealth and nation.
“I believe it is important that the General Assembly develop and enact legislation that provides improved training for police to know when to use force, particularly deadly force,” Costa, a former deputy sheriff, said. “Additionally, it is important that our police receive additional training to promote better relations with the communities they police. Finally, it is important to make available enhanced mental health services to our police and community members.”
Costa said the measures would create specialized units to respond to crisis situations, including officer-involved shootings, to provide immediate access to mental health counseling for police and community members, and develop a statewide database to permit transparency in the hiring police officers. It would also require The Municipal Police Officers’ Education & Training Commission (MPOETC) to develop a uniform policy on the use of force and deadly force by police officers and direct municipalities that lack such policies to adopt and post the MPOETC uniform policy and require annual updates and training for police officers.
Costa also said the bills would create a bipartisan legislative caucus on cultural awareness in policing that can study police activities and make recommendations on improving community policing relationships.