An Act To Provide Outreach and Training on Dementia-related Protocols for Law Enforcement Officers

Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2917  is enacted to read:

§ 2917.  Outreach and training

The commissioner shall develop and provide outreach and training programs for law enforcement officers throughout the State concerning:

Sec. 2. Commissioner's task force. The Commissioner of Public Safety shall convene a task force of members representing the State Police, local law enforcement officers, sheriffs and game wardens to review and evaluate procedures and protocols used by law enforcement agencies in response to incidents of persons who are coginitively impaired and who wander or become missing. The task force shall aid the commissioner in developing the outreach and training program required under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, section 2917, subsection 1 to ensure that the response to those incidents is consistent, effective and timely. The commissioner shall submit a report summarizing the work of the task force and including any proposed legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety by January 4, 2008. The Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety may submit a bill based on the report to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature.

SUMMARY

Under this bill, the Commissioner of Public Safety will convene a task force consisting of representatives of public safety agencies to aid in the development of procedures and protocols to be used to ensure timely, effective and consistent responses by law enforcement personnel when persons who are cognitively impaired, including persons with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia-related conditions, wander off or become missing. The bill further directs the commissioner to provide outreach and training programs to law enforcement officers on those protocols and procedures.