HOUSTON – Sen. John Cornyn joined Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, and community leaders Tuesday at Houston City Hall to discuss the senator’s new Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act, which was just signed into law on Dec. 27, 2022.
A roundtable discussion was held at 10:15 a.m., followed by a news conference at 11:15 a.m.
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During the roundtable discussion, Cornyn highlighted how the new law is aimed to help equip local and state law enforcement agencies with funding for specialized de-escalation training for officers and mental health professionals, according to the release. Houston leaders also discussed how the Task Force on Police Reform, appointed by Mayor Turner in 2020, has supported the Houston Police Department’s increased de-escalation training efforts.
In 2020, Cornyn and Turner met with Houston area leaders after George Floyd’s death, where they sought solutions to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
From that discussion, Cornyn developed the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act. Among the reforms, the new law authorizes $124 million in federal grant funding over four years for expanded training to equip law enforcement officers and mental health professionals working with them in de-escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force, the release stated.
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The bill signed into law by President Joe Biden is now being implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice - which is working to identify and develop de-escalation training curricula with input from law enforcement, mental health providers, civil rights and civil liberties organizations, and other community advocates, according to the release. Once the curricula are finalized, the grant funding will be made available to state and local law enforcement agencies to train their officers.
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