New York Senate Bill S01216

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Relates to crisis intervention training for police officers in any city having a population of one million or more.

Summary

S01216 would amend the New York Executive Law to require the state’s council to develop, maintain, and distribute written policies and procedures for police responses to crisis situations involving people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The bill focuses specifically on cities with populations of one million or more, which in practice means New York City, and directs that these protocols be created in consultation with the commissioners responsible for mental hygiene and addiction services. The bill also requires the council to recommend rules and regulations to the governor for an ongoing training program for both current and new police officers in those large cities. That training would cover the crisis-response policies and procedures, and would include recommendations for periodic retraining. The measure would take effect 90 days after becoming law, with immediate authorization for any necessary rulemaking to prepare for implementation.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would add a new duty to Executive Law section 840 by expanding the council’s responsibilities to include crisis intervention policy development and training recommendations for police officers in cities of one million or more. It would not create a statewide mandate for all police departments, but it would impose a targeted training and policy framework on the largest city in the state. The bill would affect the council, the governor, the commissioners of mental hygiene and addiction services, and police departments and officers in the covered city.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and behavioral-health training initiative, suggesting a policy approach intended to improve police responses to mental health and substance use crises.

Contention

The main policy issue likely to generate debate is the bill’s focus on police training and crisis response in cities of one million or more, which limits its reach to New York City and may raise questions about whether similar requirements should apply statewide. Another possible point of contention is the balance between law-enforcement training and behavioral-health-led crisis response, including how the policies would be developed, how often retraining would occur, and what resources would be required to implement the program.