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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1403 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2355
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Kathleen R. LaNatra
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to the well-being of law enforcement officers after involvement in a critical
incident.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Kathleen R. LaNatra12th Plymouth1/10/2023Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol1/25/2023Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable1/30/2023Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/1/2023Mathew J. Muratore1st Plymouth2/3/2023Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida7th Plymouth2/9/2023Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and Norfolk2/15/2023Josh S. Cutler6th Plymouth2/17/2023Kate Lipper-Garabedian32nd Middlesex2/22/2023 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1403 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2355
By Representative LaNatra of Kingston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2355) of
Kathleen R. LaNatra and others relative to the well-being of law enforcement officers after
involvement in critical incidents. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act relative to the well-being of law enforcement officers after involvement in a critical
incident.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 118 the
2following section:-
3 Section 119. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context
4clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
5 “Critical incident”, a traumatic event that may cause powerful emotional reactions in
6people involved or exposed to the event, including: (i) line of duty death or life-threatening
7injury of an officer; (ii) suicide of an officer; (iii) multiple casualty incidents or disasters; (iv)
8significant stressful incidents involving children; (v) incidents involving life-threatening injuries
9or death of a family member or significant other of an officer; (vi) an officer-involved injury or
10death, as defined in section 1 of chapter 6E; and (vii) any other significant incident that elicits a 2 of 4
11strong emotional response by the involved officers, at the discretion of the head of the law
12enforcement agency.
13 “Law enforcement agency” or “agency”, as defined in section 1 of chapter 6E.
14 “Law enforcement officer” or “officer”, as defined in section 1 of chapter 6E.
15 “Telehealth”, as defined in section 30 of chapter 32A.
16 (b) Each law enforcement agency shall, in collaboration with the municipal police
17training committee established pursuant to section 116, develop and maintain a policy or
18program for supporting law enforcement officers who have been involved in a critical incident.
19The policy or program may include a peripheral law enforcement officer present at the scene of
20reports an impact or request supportive services.
21 (c) The policy or program shall include:
22 (1) Pre-incident preparation, including training and education about both normal and
23problematic post-traumatic reactions commonly associated with critical incidents;
24 (2) Protocols to ensure an involved officer’s physical and psychological safety at the
25scene and following the critical incident;
26 (3) The provision of post-critical incident services to an involved officer, and the ability
27to extend the post-critical incident services to an officer’s family and significant others when
28warranted;
29 (4) Guidelines for temporary leave or appropriate duty reassignment as agreed upon by
30an involved officer and the agency to allow an involved officer to receive services and manage 3 of 4
31the impact of the incident on an involved officer and an involved officer’s family and significant
32others; and
33 (5) Guidelines and procedures for an officer’s return to duty, including ongoing support
34and services available to an involved officer. The guidelines and procedures may include, to the
35extent possible given the law enforcement agency’s size and resources:
36 (i) A reintegration plan that considers having an officer return to the scene of the critical
37incident if necessary, participation in additional firearm training and participation in a graduated
38re-entry with a partner; and
39 (ii) Ongoing supportive mental health services, including confidential follow-up by a
40qualified mental health professional, either in person or through telehealth services.
41 (d) The policy or program may include, to the extent possible given the law enforcement
42agency’s size and resources:
43 (1) At least 1 confidential post-critical incident intervention with a qualified mental
44health professional in a timely manner following the incident, including through telehealth
45services;
46 (2) Ongoing confidential mental health services from a qualified mental health
47professional as needed, including though telehealth services; and
48 (3) Some form of peer support, including agency peer support or online or telehealth peer
49support. 4 of 4
50 (e) Not less than biennially, each law enforcement agency shall complete a review of the
51policy or program required pursuant to this section and revise the policy or program, as
52necessary.