AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33 and Title 38, relative to alternative crisis response units.
Summary
SB0904 requires every law enforcement agency in Tennessee to develop and implement an “alternative crisis response unit” by January 1, 2026. The bill defines such a unit as a program in which a qualified mental health professional employed by a law enforcement agency accompanies a full-time police officer on mental-health-related calls for service, with the mental health professional serving as the lead on the call. It also defines “qualified mental health professional” by reference to existing law in Title 33.
The bill directs the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to establish uniform training standards for these units and to provide annual training to full-time police officers on how to support the mental health professional during crisis calls. Section 2, which creates the training-standard requirement, takes effect immediately upon becoming law, while the remaining provisions take effect on January 1, 2026. The measure would add new operational duties for law enforcement agencies and expand the state’s framework for responding to behavioral health crises through co-responder-style teams.
Impact
The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 33 and 38 by adding statutory definitions and new statewide requirements for law enforcement crisis response. It would impose a mandate on all law enforcement agencies to create alternative crisis response units, require the POST Commission to set uniform standards, and require annual officer training, thereby affecting police agencies, mental health professionals working with law enforcement, and state training and certification processes.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in committee, failing in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 2-5. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the vote indicates limited support at that stage despite the bill’s public-safety and behavioral-health focus. The lack of recorded discussion makes it difficult to identify broader bipartisan sentiment beyond the committee outcome.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be the bill’s mandate that every law enforcement agency develop and implement an alternative crisis response unit by a fixed date, which could raise concerns about cost, staffing, feasibility, and local agency capacity. Additional likely concerns include whether law enforcement agencies should employ mental health professionals directly, how the lead role on calls would work in practice, and whether a statewide mandate is appropriate versus local discretion. Supporters would likely emphasize improved crisis response and de-escalation, while opponents appear to have been sufficient in committee to defeat the measure.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 24; Title 33; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to the Tennessee Women's Childbirth Alternatives, Resources, and Education Act.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 24; Title 33; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to the Tennessee Women's Childbirth Alternatives, Resources, and Education Act.