H.R. 3060House115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 4:42 PM UTC

The Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2017 would make it mandatory for any state or local government that receives an Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant to train all of its law‑enforcement officers in de‑escalation techniques each year. The law requires the training to cover non‑lethal force options, communication, mental‑health awareness, and other evidence‑based practices, and it ties compliance to the amount of federal grant money a jurisdiction receives. The bill affects state and local police agencies that rely on these federal grants.

Key Provisions

States and localities that get Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants must require every academy recruit and all current officers to complete annual de‑escalation training covering non‑lethal force, communication, mental‑health/crisis intervention, and other evidence‑based tactics.
The training must be scenario‑based and, where possible, integrated into other academy courses; the Attorney General will certify that the training was completed.
Compliance must begin within one year of the Act’s passage (with a possible six‑month extension); jurisdictions that fail to comply can have up to 20% of their grant funding reduced and the withheld funds reallocated to compliant jurisdictions.
The Attorney General must maintain and publish a list of evidence‑based de‑escalation practices and issue guidance on how to meet the requirements within 180 days of enactment.
The Attorney General will collect data on how grant recipients implement de‑escalation training.
If a jurisdiction does not adopt policies that create an affirmative duty for officers to use de‑escalation when possible, its grant funding can be reduced by an additional 15% in the following fiscal year.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

3 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee

June 29, 2017

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

June 26, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

June 26, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5302)

June 29, 2017

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee

June 29, 2017

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 3060 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Gwen MooreD-WI-4 · Jun 29, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the comments and remarks of the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) with regard to being mindful of the deaths from gun violence that plague our communities all across the country, and particularly as the summer has begun, these deaths will continue.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today about another kind of gun violence that makes our streets and homes unsafe, and that is the deadly encounters between civilians and police officers.

Mr. Speaker, I have wracked my brain trying to understand these deaths. I have grieved with the mothers who have lost their children. I have met with experts and attended roundtables on how to find a way to mitigate these fatal police encounters.

Let me tell you, I think I can propose a solution that we can all support, and that is H.R. 3060, the Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act, which would link law enforcement training on deescalation techniques to receipt of Federal Byrne JAG funds.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I certainly wish that I could take full credit for this concept because I think that this legislation would both save civilian lives and police lives; however, this idea is rooted in the Police Executive Research Forum report which both Republicans and Democrats have cited. It was written by police officer peers and by police officer experts.

Mr. Speaker, what they found is that police academies require 58 hours of training on how to use a firearm and another 49 hours on other defensive tactics. While they don't require, they offer 8 voluntary--1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8--8 voluntary hours on how to employ deescalation tactics in crisis intervention. We need to require this deescalation training.

This deescalation training curriculum would be to use verbal and physical tactics to avoid escalating the situation, use the lowest level of force as possible and a safe response to identified threats, and be aware of mental health and substance abuse issues and crisis intervention strategies in order to appropriately respond. This training would provide police with the tools they need to prevent violent interactions and save not only their lives, but the lives of civilians, too.

We know that kids are out of school and that the tensions in our streets are high. Police are on alert, and far too many of us are distrustful of the police due to the painful and frightful memories of how many deadly encounters have dominated headlines--close to 1,000 in 1 year.

How can this Congress recess for the summer and not take up this bill? Yes, the Affordable Care Act is a big issue here before us in Congress, but if you live in communities of color around the country, the immediate healthcare issue for you is being shot by a police officer who has been sworn to protect you.

If you die at age 12, like Tamir Rice, who was shot by police for playing with his sister on a playground in Cleveland, how can you be concerned with Medicaid?

If you are killed at 31 years old, like Dontre Hamilton, who was shot 14 times by police for resting on a park bench in Milwaukee, nursing home care is not your priority. You won't have the good fortune of living that long.

I ask my colleagues to prioritize preserving lives by supporting this legislation.

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued June 26, 2017

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3060

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 26, 2017

Ms. Moore (for herself, Mr. Clyburn, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Norton, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Takano, Mr. Evans, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Hastings, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To require that States and localities receiving grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program require law enforcement officers to undergo training on and thereafter employ de-escalation techniques to assist in reducing the need for the use of force by such officers, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2017.

Training on de-escalation for law enforcement

(a)

Training requirement

For each fiscal year after the expiration of the period specified in subsection (d) in which a State or unit of local government receives a grant under part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), the State or unit of local government shall require that all individuals enrolled in an academy of a law enforcement agency of the State or unit of local government and all law enforcement officers of the State or unit of local government fulfill a training session on de-escalation techniques each fiscal year, including—

(1)

the use of alternative non-lethal methods of applying force and techniques that prevent the officer from escalating any situation where force is likely to be used;

(2)

verbal and physical tactics to minimize the need for the use of force, with an emphasis on communication, negotiation, de-escalation techniques, providing the time needed to resolve the incident safely for everyone;

(3)

the use of the lowest level of force that is a possible and safe response to an identified threat, then re-evaluating the threat as it progresses;

(4)

techniques that provide all officers with awareness and recognition of mental health and substance abuse issues with an emphasis on communication strategies, training officers simultaneously in teams on de-escalation and use of force to improve group dynamics and diminish excessive use of force during critical incidents;

(5)

principles of using distance, cover, and time when approaching and managing critical incidents, and elimination of the use of concepts like the 21-foot rule and drawing a line in the sand in favor of using distance and cover to create a reaction gap;

(6)

crisis intervention strategies to appropriately identify and respond to individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues, with an emphasis on de-escalation tactics and promoting effective communication; and

(7)

other evidence-based approaches, found to be appropriate by the Attorney General, that enhance de-escalation skills and tactics, such as the Critical Decision-Making Model and scenario-based trainings.

In the case of individuals attending an academy, such training session shall be for such an appropriate amount of time as to ensure academy participants receive effective training under this subsection and in the case of all other law enforcement officers, the training session shall be for an appropriate amount of time as to ensure officers receive effective training under this subsection. The State or unit of local government shall certify to the Attorney General of the United States that such training sessions have been completed.

(b)

Scenario-Based Training

Training described in subsection (a) shall be conducted with an emphasis on training that employs theories of de-escalation techniques and applies them to practical on-the-job scenarios that regularly face law enforcement officers.

(c)

Cross-Training

To the extent practicable, principles of training as described in subsection (a) shall be applied to other training conducted at the academy.

(d)

Compliance and ineligibility

(1)

Compliance date

Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of this Act, each State or unit of local government receiving a grant shall comply with subsection (a), except that the Attorney General may grant an additional 6 months to a State or unit of local government that is making good faith efforts to comply with such subsection.

(2)

Ineligibility for funds

For any fiscal year after the expiration of the period specified in paragraph (1), a State or unit of local government that fails to comply with subsection (a), shall, at the discretion of the Attorney General, be subject to not more than a 20-percent reduction of the funds that would otherwise be allocated for that fiscal year to the State or unit of local government under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), whether characterized as the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Programs, the Local Government Law Enforcement Block Grants Program, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, or otherwise.

(e)

Reallocation

Amounts not allocated under a program referred to in subsection (b)(2) to a State or unit of local government for failure to fully comply with subsection (a) shall be reallocated under that program to States and units of local government that have not failed to comply with such subsection.

(f)

Evidence-Based practices

For purposes of subsection (a)(4), the Attorney General shall maintain a list of evidence-based practices it determines is successful in enhancing de-escalation skills of law enforcement officers. The Attorney General shall regularly update this list as needed and shall publish the list to the public on a yearly basis.

Data collection

The Attorney General shall collect data on efforts undertaken by Federal fund recipients to enhance de-escalation training for law enforcement officers.

Affirmative duty to use de-escalation tactics when available

(a)

In general

In the case of a State or unit of local government that received a grant award under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), if that State or unit of local government fails by the end of a fiscal year to enact or have in effect laws, policies, or procedures that sets forth an affirmative duty on a law enforcement officer of that State or unit of local government, whenever possible, to employ de-escalation techniques in which the officer has received training required under section 2(a), the Attorney General shall reduce the amount that would otherwise be awarded to that State or unit of local government under such grant program in the following fiscal year by 15 percent.

(b)

Reallocation

Amounts not allocated under a program referred to in subsection (a) to a State or unit of local government for failure to be in compliance with this section shall be reallocated under that program to States and units of local government that are in compliance with this section.

Attorney General guidance

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall issue guidance, for the benefit of States and units of local government, on compliance with the requirements of this Act.