Advocates press for dementia training; law-enforcement standards board seeks needs assessment
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Summary
HB 1976 would require minimal dementia-focused training for first responders. Alzheimer’s Association and caregivers urged passage; the Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board pushed back, asking for a needs assessment and arguing administrative rulemaking could be better suited than statute.
The committee heard competing views on HB 1976, which would require dementia-specific training for first responders and establish a collaborative review process for curricula.
Victor McCraw, administrator of the Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board, said the bill’s process is flawed: the board has not been engaged and a statutory mandate is unnecessary because existing training proposals and administrative rules—he said—already cover dementia recognition and response. McCraw asked for a needs assessment and measurement mechanisms to ensure field performance improvement rather than a simple awareness module.
"The bill would actually amend state law to implement just 60 minutes of training within a 64-hour proposed training block," McCraw said, urging a rule- or curriculum-based solution to avoid micromanagement.
Alzheimer’s Association representatives and family members described daily risks for people with dementia and said a minimum statewide standard is needed. Colby Chock of the Alzheimer’s Association called the bill "a minimal practical standard" that preserves agency flexibility while establishing a base level of training and a process for expert review. Peter Black, a person living with Alzheimer’s who testified by video, urged lawmakers to ensure first responders have the tools to respond safely when people wander or are disoriented.
Committee members heard both the call for an explicit statutory baseline and concerns about statutory micromanagement. The committee recommended passage of the bill in committee and asked agencies to work together on curriculum details and evaluation metrics.
