The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.The SMART Community Policing Act
Record date · December 17, 2024
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill would allow local police departments to use federal COPS grant funding to hire mental health professionals and paramedics for s and s. These teams would be tasked with de-escalating non-violent 911 calls involving mental health, homelessness, or substance use crises.
If passed, this bill would change how local law enforcement agencies allocate federal grant money, shifting resources toward hiring non-police personnel like clinicians and case managers to handle mental health-related emergency calls.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local law enforcement agencies
These agencies gain new eligibility to use federal COPS grant funds for hiring non-police personnel and training officers in co-responder models.
Mental health professionals and paramedics
These professionals may be hired by local agencies to serve on mobile crisis teams and co-responder units.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill require police to stop responding to mental health calls?
What kind of personnel can be hired with these funds?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Integration of Clinical Staff into Policing Grants
The bill explicitly expands the definition of 'community policing' to include the hiring of non-law enforcement clinical staff, marking a shift in the scope of the COPS grant program.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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