HB 17-1215

HB 17-1215 is a Colorado bill that encourages police departments and sheriff's offices to work with mental health professionals to help them handle situations involving people with mental health issues better. It also provides funding for these departments to hire mental health experts through grants, which can cover costs like on-scene support and counseling services for officers. The bill has been signed into law, meaning it is now active and police departments are encouraged to apply for the available grants to improve their mental health response capabilities.

Official Summary

The bill encourages each sheriff's office and each municipal police department to adopt a policy whereby mental health professionals, to the extent practicable, provide: On-scene response services to support officers' handling of persons with mental health disorders; and Counseling services to officers. The bill creates the peace officers mental health support grant program (grant program) in the department of local affairs (department) to provide grants of money to county sheriffs' offices and municipal police departments to help them engage mental health professionals. Each sheriff's office and each municipal police department is encouraged to apply annually for a grant from the grant program. The bill creates the peace officers mental health support fund (fund), which consists of gifts, grants, and donations and any other money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The executive director of the department, or his or her designee, may expend money from the fund for the purposes of the grant program. The grant program repeals September 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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