Freshman state Rep. Lee Halsey (R-Helena) passed a bipartisan bill in his first legislative session that would require training for law enforcement officers on interacting with people with special sensory needs.
Halsey now plans to take the idea to the next step by introducing legislation to extend this training to firefighters.
“At the scene of a shipwreck or fire, it is not uncommon for firefighters to arrive on the scene before law enforcement,” Halsey said. “It is in the best interests of those who serve and those who are served to expand on this work we have begun.”
While work is still being done on the bill, Halsey said it is essentially the same as the bill passed last year, except the focus has shifted from law enforcement to firefighters.
Halsey said the bill would apply to certified volunteer firefighters as well as professional firefighters. Halsey said the Alabama Forestry Commission typically deals with wildfires, not the public.
The Noah Cade Act, which just went into effect on January 1, requires law enforcement officers to take one hour of continuing education every two years on how to interact with individuals with sensory and non-visible disabilities. ing. This class is administered by the Alabama Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, and the class must be offered free of charge by a nonprofit organization that specializes in such training.
The bill is personal to Halsey, whose son Noah is on the autism spectrum.
Halsey introduced a similar bill while serving on the Helena City Council, which he said sparked the change.
Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) said the law is necessary because Alabama, under then-Governor Robert Bentley, closed its mental health facilities and now people suffering from mental health crises are being kept away from law enforcement and prisons. He said this is because they are often tasked with responding to prisons and prisons. It is the only facility that can accommodate them.
Disabilities that fall under sensory or invisible disabilities include stroke, diabetes, autism spectrum disorder, dementia, and other neurological disorders.
