Crisis Intervention Behavioral Health Training

Senate Bill 11
Impact on Law Enforcement

On October 3, 2015, Governor Brown, signed into law Senate Bill 11. The resulting law mandates POST to create, maintain, and make available a three hour mental health course. This information is intended to facilitate an understanding of the new law and how it will be implemented. Please refer to the California Penal Code (PC) for a full description of the law.

POST shall develop and make available three hours of training to law enforcement personnel as it relates to behavioral health.

PC 13515.27(a)

Police Response to People with Mental Illness, Intellectual Disabilities, and Substance Use Disorders course is available for download (docx). Agencies or training centers may utilize the ECO to deliver a course by certifying it through their POST Regional Consultant. Law enforcement personnel attending this course will meet their Communications perishable skills requirement for Continuing Professional Training. The course is not mandatory for law enforcement.

Mental Health Training Resources

The following mental health training resources have been provided for your convenience. The resources are not intended to be comprehensive.

Mental Health Training Courses

Course Catalog

Visit the California POST Course Catalog to locate POST certified mental health training courses and crisis intervention courses.

Crisis Intervention Behavioral Health Training Penal Code Section 13515.27 (a)

The Commission on POST is pleased to present this training curriculum on law enforcement response to people with mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance use disorders. This course was developed pursuant to legislative mandate Senate Bill 11 (Beale) as codified in Penal Code Section 13515.27(a). Agencies may utilize the Hourly Distribution and Expanded Course Outline provided in the Instructor Guidelines (docx) to certify this course. Law enforcement officers are not mandated to take this course.

Crisis Intervention Behavioral Health Training Penal Code Section 13515.28 (a) (1)

Penal Code Section 13515.28 (a) (1) requires Field Training Officers who are instructors for the field training program to have at least 8 hours of crisis intervention behavioral health training. Agencies may certify this expanded course outline (ECO) (pdf) and hourly distribution (pdf) through their Regional Consultant to present an 8 hour behavioral health course that satisfies the 8 hour training requirement for FTOs.

Police Response to People with Mental Illness, Intellectual Disabilities, and Substance Use Disorders(docx)

POST Behavioral Health Guidebook

Mental Health (pdf)

POST Training Videos

POST training videos provide easily accessible training on modern police practices. Content is driven by collaboration with stakeholders and subject matter experts and is designed with consideration toward adult learning methodologies.

The videos include discussions from subject matter experts and police practitioners, scenarios, learning activities, and more.

Other POST videos related to the topic of mental health include:

  • Homelessness and Policing: A Collaborative Approach
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Autism Recognition and Response
  • Supporting Returning Military Law Enforcement Personnel
  • Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
  • Mental Health: Responding to Individual in Crisis
  • Investigations within Mental Health Institutions
  • Order Training Videos