Relating to peace officer-involved shootings and peace officer-involved critical incidents, and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to procedures regarding peace officer-involved shootings and peace officer-involved critical incidents. The bill provides that a peace officer shall have the right to have legal counsel and shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to obtain counsel. The bill provides that a peace officer involved in a peace officer-involved shooting or a peace officer-involved critical incident shall be issued, upon request, at no charge, a certified copy of any video or audio recordings related to the incident in a timely fashion. The bill provides that the peace officer shall not release any confidential video or audio recordings to the public without the written consent of the lawful records custodian or a court order authorizing the release. The bill provides that the name of the peace officer shall be kept confidential until the peace officer has been interviewed as part of the criminal investigation or until the peace officer declines a voluntary interview. The bill provides that personal information, including a peace officer’s home address, personal contact information, and date of birth shall be kept confidential. The bill provides that the employing agency shall promptly offer to a peace officer involved in a peace officer-involved shooting or a peace officer-involved critical incident confidential peer support and confidential counseling at no charge to the peace officer. The bill defines “peace officer-involved critical incident” as any of the following occurring in the peace officer’s official capacity as a peace officer: the use of a dangerous weapon by a peace officer against any person that causes serious bodily injury or fatal injury; the use of a motor vehicle by a peace officer that causes a physical injury to any person, including a fatal injury; or the death of a person who is in law enforcement custody, not including a death that is the result of disease, natural causes, or conditions that have been medically diagnosed prior to the person’s death. The bill defines “peace officer-involved shooting” as the discharge of a firearm by a peace officer that results in a physical injury. The bill also defines “division”, “peace officer”, and “serious bodily injury”.