2025 Senate Bill 335

Law enforcement: training; duty to intervene policy; require law enforcement agencies to adopt.

A bill to require law enforcement agencies to regulate failures of law enforcement officers to intervene during the use or attempted use of excessive force; to permit law enforcement officers to report certain wrongful conduct observed by those law enforcement officers; and to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities.

Senate Fiscal Agency Analysis

Senate Bills 334, 335 and 341 would modify licensure requirements for law enforcement officers. Before licensure, a prospective officer would have to complete a comprehensive background check to determine character fitness. An employing agency would have to consider an applicable separation of service record of a previously employed officer and attest to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) that the individual met licensing requirements. Additionally, MCOLES would have to research and establish curriculum standards for de-escalation techniques, implicit bias, procedural justice, crisis intervention, and behavioral health resources and support. New officers would have to complete the training as a condition of licensure and current officers would have to complete training in these areas by July 1, 2027. The bills would require MCOLES to develop a model duty to intervene policy, and law enforcement agencies would have to adopt and provide a copy of that policy or a similar policy to their employees. Finally, the bills would prescribe requirements of employing agencies to report information on officers who were the subject of certain criminal charges or protection orders to MCOLES. The Commission would have to revoke an officer's license if the officer were convicted of a misdemeanor involving domestic violence for assault and battery against specific individuals.

Introduced in the Senate

May 29, 2025

Introduced by Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-24) and 9 co-sponsors

Co-sponsored by Sens. Stephanie Chang (D-3), Sarah Anthony (D-21), Erika Geiss (D-1), Sylvia Santana (D-2), Jeff Irwin (D-15), Mallory McMorrow (D-8), Sue Shink (D-14), Mary Cavanagh (D-6) and Darrin Camilleri (D-4)

Referred to the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety