VIDEO: Crisis Prevention Training Mandated for All MN Officers
Minnesota law enforcement will now be mandated to take a minimum amount of crisis prevention training. It is part of a new law passed in the legislature and signed by the governor, reports KARE.
"The legislature and ultimately the governor signing this bill into law is a game changer for Minnesota law enforcement," said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell.
The training must be provided beginning of July 1, 2018 and will require law enforcement have a minimum of 16 hours of training every three years in three areas -- responding to a mental health crisis, de-escalation of conflicts, and diversity and implicit bias training.
The state will give law enforcement $6 million every year for the next four yours to do the training.
Many departments already do at least some of the crisis prevention training, including Maplewood, but now other smaller departments in Greater Minnesota will be able to as well.
"This levels the playing field for access to this critical training across the state," Schnell said. "Five years from now we're going to look back and say that was a major shift in our response to these types of calls."