Representative urges bipartisan bill to fund scenario-based law-enforcement de-escalation training

A member of Congress asked the House Judiciary Committee to support the Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-Escalation Act, a bipartisan, budget-neutral proposal she said would help police officers develop situational awareness and de-escalation skills for encounters with people experiencing mental-health crises, suicidal episodes or domestic violence.

The sponsor said the bill is co-led by Representatives Don Bacon, Brian Fitzpatrick and Glenn Ivey and would make training accessible to smaller departments that cannot afford to pay for simulation programs. She argued the training reduces use-of-force incidents and injuries for civilians and officers, and said the measure has support from stakeholders including a local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Akron branch of the NAACP.

The Representative invoked local incidents — naming Jalen Walker and Frank Tyson, who she said died in interactions with police — to emphasize the bill's urgency and asked the committee to advance the measure. The member described the requirement as budget-neutral and said it would allow smaller police departments to participate.

No committee vote or detailed funding language was recorded during the member-day remarks; members were directed to submit materials for the hearing record within five legislative days.