Bill Text: FL S0740 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Administration of Justice

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2021-04-30 - Died in Judiciary, companion bill(s) passed, see HB 7051 (Ch. 2021-241) [S0740 Detail]

Download: Florida-2021-S0740-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2021                                     SB 740
       
       
        
       By Senator Bracy
       
       
       
       
       
       11-00036-21                                            2021740__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the administration of justice;
    3         amending s. 40.24, F.S.; revising the rate of
    4         compensation for jurors; requiring clerks of the
    5         circuit court to provide quarterly estimates regarding
    6         juror compensation costs to the Justice Administrative
    7         Commission; requiring the commission to submit a
    8         request for payment to the Chief Financial Officer
    9         upon receipt and endorsement of the clerks’ estimates;
   10         amending s. 900.05, F.S.; requiring each law
   11         enforcement agency to collect and report specified
   12         information to the Department of Law Enforcement on a
   13         monthly basis; creating s. 900.06, F.S.; requiring law
   14         enforcement agencies that employ law enforcement
   15         officers being investigated for use of force by a
   16         citizen review board to include a member of the
   17         citizen review board as part of the law enforcement
   18         agency’s investigative team; creating s. 900.061,
   19         F.S.; providing legislative findings and intent;
   20         requiring the county commission or other governing
   21         body of each county to establish by a specified date a
   22         citizen review board with the authority and ability to
   23         independently investigate law enforcement agencies
   24         within that county; providing requirements for citizen
   25         review boards; creating s. 900.07, F.S.; requiring the
   26         state attorney of a judicial circuit in which a law
   27         enforcement officer use of force death occurs to
   28         request that a state attorney from another judicial
   29         circuit review the case and make a certain written and
   30         detailed recommendation; requiring a state attorney
   31         who receives such a request to provide a specified
   32         notice to the requesting state attorney within a
   33         certain timeframe; amending s. 913.08, F.S.;
   34         prohibiting the use of peremptory challenges to strike
   35         prospective jurors in criminal jury trials that
   36         commence on or after a specified date; repealing Rule
   37         3.350, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, relating
   38         to peremptory challenges, to conform to changes made
   39         by the act; requesting the Florida Supreme Court to
   40         amend Rule 1.431(d), Florida Rules of Civil Procedure,
   41         to prohibit the use of peremptory challenges in jury
   42         selection for civil jury trials; creating s. 943.1714,
   43         F.S.; requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and
   44         Training Commission to establish and maintain
   45         standards for instruction of officers in the subjects
   46         of implicit bias and deescalation of conflict to
   47         minimize violence; requiring every basic skills course
   48         required for officers to obtain initial certification
   49         to include such training; amending s. 943.1718, F.S.;
   50         providing legislative intent; defining the term
   51         “vehicle dash camera”; requiring every law enforcement
   52         agency to mandate that its law enforcement officers
   53         wear body cameras and use vehicle dash cameras;
   54         requiring law enforcement agencies to establish
   55         specified policies and procedures; deleting a
   56         provision relating to applicability; providing a
   57         declaration of important state interest; creating s.
   58         943.6872, F.S.; defining terms; requiring that each
   59         law enforcement agency have a written policy regarding
   60         the investigation of officer-involved deaths;
   61         providing requirements for such policies; authorizing
   62         internal investigations under certain circumstances;
   63         authorizing compensation for certain investigations to
   64         be determined in a manner consistent with mutual aid
   65         agreements; requiring certain investigators to provide
   66         a complete report to the appropriate state attorney;
   67         requiring such investigators to publicly release the
   68         completed report, redacted as required by law, if the
   69         state attorney determines that there is no basis to
   70         prosecute the law enforcement officer involved;
   71         creating s. 943.6875, F.S.; providing legislative
   72         findings and intent; requiring every law enforcement
   73         agency to create an early intervention system to track
   74         and identify potentially damaging patterns of behavior
   75         by law enforcement officers; providing risk
   76         indicators; providing effective dates.
   77          
   78  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   79  
   80         Section 1. Effective October 1, 2021, subsections (3) and
   81  (4) of section 40.24, Florida Statutes, are amended, and
   82  subsection (9) is added to that section, to read:
   83         40.24 Compensation and reimbursement policy.—
   84         (3)(a) Jurors who are regularly employed and who continue
   85  to receive regular wages while serving as a juror are not
   86  entitled to receive compensation from the clerk of the circuit
   87  court for the first 3 days of juror service.
   88         (b) Jurors who are not regularly employed or who do not
   89  continue to receive regular wages while serving as a juror are
   90  entitled to receive $30 $15 per day for the first 3 days of
   91  juror service.
   92         (4) Each juror who serves more than 3 days is entitled to
   93  be paid by the clerk of the circuit court for the fourth day of
   94  service and each day thereafter at the rate of $50 $30 per day
   95  of service.
   96         (9) Beginning October 1, 2021, each clerk of the circuit
   97  court shall forward to the Justice Administrative Commission a
   98  quarterly estimate of funds necessary to pay compensation to
   99  jurors in accordance with subsections (3) and (4). Upon receipt
  100  of such estimates, the Justice Administrative Commission shall
  101  endorse the amount deemed necessary for payment to the clerks of
  102  the circuit court during the quarter and shall submit a request
  103  for payment to the Chief Financial Officer.
  104         Section 2. Paragraph (h) is added to subsection (3) of
  105  section 900.05, Florida Statutes, to read:
  106         900.05 Criminal justice data collection.—
  107         (3) DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.—An entity required to
  108  collect data in accordance with this subsection shall collect
  109  the specified data and report them in accordance with this
  110  subsection to the Department of Law Enforcement on a monthly
  111  basis.
  112         (h) Law enforcement agencies.—Each law enforcement agency
  113  shall collect all of the following data:
  114         1.The number of full-time law enforcement officers.
  115         2.The number of part-time law enforcement officers.
  116         3.The number of law enforcement officer stops, including:
  117         a.The race or ethnicity of each law enforcement officer
  118  and individual involved in each stop; and
  119         b.Whether the stop was a vehicle traffic stop or was made
  120  on foot or by other means, which must be specified.
  121         4.The number of arrests by, or notices to appear in lieu
  122  of physical arrest issued by, law enforcement officers,
  123  including:
  124         a.The race or ethnicity of each law enforcement officer
  125  and individual involved in the arrest or issuance of notice to
  126  appear; and
  127         b.Whether the arrest or issuance of notice to appear arose
  128  out of a vehicle traffic stop or was made on foot or by other
  129  means, which must be specified.
  130         Section 3. Section 900.06, Florida Statutes, is created to
  131  read:
  132         900.06Citizen review board member participation in use of
  133  force investigations.—Each law enforcement agency in this state
  134  that employs a law enforcement officer for whom an investigation
  135  is opened under s. 900.061(4)(b)1. by a citizen review board
  136  shall include a member of the citizen review board as part of
  137  the law enforcement agency’s investigative team.
  138         Section 4. Section 900.061, Florida Statutes, is created to
  139  read:
  140         900.061Citizen review boards.—
  141         (1)The Legislature finds that an effective way for our
  142  communities and the law enforcement agencies that serve them to
  143  build mutual trust and positive relationships is through the
  144  establishment of citizen review boards.
  145         (2)It is the intent of the Legislature to require the
  146  establishment of a citizen review board in each county of this
  147  state to provide civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies
  148  within that county through independent investigations.
  149         (3)By July 1, 2022, the county commission or other
  150  governing body, as appropriate, of each county in this state
  151  shall establish a citizen review board with the authority and
  152  ability to independently investigate each law enforcement agency
  153  within that county.
  154         (4)Each citizen review board shall comply with all of the
  155  following requirements:
  156         (a)Be composed of at least 5 but not more than 15
  157  individuals appointed by the county commission or other
  158  governing body of the county, as appropriate. A member of the
  159  board may not be a current employee of the state or county, or
  160  of any subdivision of the county.
  161         (b)Investigate all complaints relating to:
  162         1.Use of force. This includes, but is not limited to, an
  163  investigation into whether excessive force was used or whether
  164  use of force was justified.
  165         2.Abuse of authority. This includes, but is not limited
  166  to, investigations to determine whether unauthorized or illegal
  167  searches or seizures, inappropriate entry onto property, or
  168  refusal to provide name and badge number occurred.
  169         3.Discourtesy. This includes, but is not limited to, the
  170  use of foul language, acting in a rude or unprofessional manner,
  171  or the display of rude or offensive gestures.
  172         4.Discriminatory language. This includes, but is not
  173  limited to, the use of slurs based on race, religion, ethnicity,
  174  sex, or gender.
  175         (c)Create a standard form and a uniform process for the
  176  submission of complaints.
  177         (d)Create a uniform process or procedure for the
  178  processing of complaints.
  179         (e)Meet with the individual who submitted the complaint.
  180         (f)Meet with the law enforcement officer against whom the
  181  complaint was made.
  182         (g)Meet with one or more witnesses, if any, to the event
  183  that prompted the complaint.
  184         (h)Prepare a report on the findings of the investigation.
  185         (i)Submit the report and any recommendations to the county
  186  commission or other governing body of the county, as
  187  appropriate, and to the head of the law enforcement agency that
  188  employs the law enforcement officer.
  189         Section 5. Section 900.07, Florida Statutes, is created to
  190  read:
  191         900.07 Requiring review and recommendation from another
  192  state attorney in cases of law enforcement officer use of force
  193  deaths.—
  194         (1)In each case in which a death results from a law
  195  enforcement officer’s use of force, the state attorney of the
  196  judicial circuit in which the use of force death occurred shall
  197  request a state attorney from another judicial circuit to review
  198  the case and the circumstances surrounding the use of force
  199  death and to make a written and detailed recommendation on
  200  whether he or she believes that charges should be brought
  201  against the law enforcement officer.
  202         (2)A state attorney who receives a request under
  203  subsection (1) must notify the requesting state attorney within
  204  10 business days after receipt as to whether the state attorney
  205  receiving the request can review the case and, if so, must
  206  provide the written and detailed recommendation in an
  207  expeditious manner.
  208         Section 6. Effective October 1, 2021, section 913.08,
  209  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  210         913.08 Number of Peremptory challenges prohibited.—For any
  211  trial that commences on or after October 1, 2021, any party to
  212  the proceeding may not use a peremptory challenge to strike a
  213  prospective juror from the venire.
  214         (1) The state and the defendant shall each be allowed the
  215  following number of peremptory challenges:
  216         (a) Ten, if the offense charged is punishable by death or
  217  imprisonment for life;
  218         (b) Six, if the offense charged is punishable by
  219  imprisonment for more than 12 months but is not punishable by
  220  death or imprisonment for life;
  221         (c) Three, for all other offenses.
  222         (2) If two or more defendants are tried jointly, each
  223  defendant shall be allowed the number of peremptory challenges
  224  specified in subsection (1), and the state shall be allowed as
  225  many challenges as are allowed to all of the defendants.
  226         Section 7. Effective October 1, 2021, Rule 3.350, Florida
  227  Rules of Criminal Procedure, is repealed.
  228         Section 8. Effective October 1, 2021, the Supreme Court is
  229  requested to amend Rule 1.431(d), Florida Rules of Civil
  230  Procedure, relating to peremptory challenges, to prohibit the
  231  use of peremptory challenges in jury selection in a civil jury
  232  trial.
  233         Section 9. Section 943.1714, Florida Statutes, is created
  234  to read:
  235         943.1714 Basic skills training relating to implicit bias
  236  and deescalation of conflict.—The commission shall establish and
  237  maintain standards for instruction of officers in the subjects
  238  of implicit bias and deescalation of conflict to minimize
  239  violence. Every basic skills course required in order for
  240  officers to obtain initial certification must include training
  241  on implicit bias and deescalation of conflict to minimize
  242  violence.
  243         Section 10. Section 943.1718, Florida Statutes, is amended
  244  to read:
  245         943.1718 Body cameras and vehicle dash cameras required;
  246  policies and procedures.—
  247         (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to require that all
  248  law enforcement officers in this state wear body cameras and use
  249  vehicle dash cameras to ensure the safety of both the law
  250  enforcement officers and members of the public and for purposes
  251  of accountability and accuracy in instances when the
  252  circumstances surrounding a law-enforcement-related encounter or
  253  activity are in question.
  254         (2) As used in this section, the term:
  255         (a) “Body camera” means a portable electronic recording
  256  device that is worn on a law enforcement officer’s person which
  257  that records audio and video data of the officer’s law
  258  enforcement-related encounters and activities.
  259         (b) “Law enforcement agency” means an agency that has a
  260  primary mission of preventing and detecting crime and enforcing
  261  the penal, criminal, traffic, and motor vehicle laws of the
  262  state and in furtherance of that primary mission employs law
  263  enforcement officers as defined in s. 943.10.
  264         (c) “Law enforcement officer” has the same meaning as
  265  provided in s. 943.10.
  266         (d)Vehicle dash camera” means a nonportable electronic
  267  recording device used by a law enforcement officer in a law
  268  enforcement officer’s vehicle which records audio or video data
  269  of the officer’s law-enforcement-related encounters and
  270  activities.
  271         (3)(2)Every A law enforcement agency shall require that
  272  permits its law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and
  273  use vehicle dash cameras and shall establish policies and
  274  procedures addressing the proper use, maintenance, and storage
  275  of body cameras and vehicle dash cameras and the data recorded
  276  by the body cameras and vehicle dash cameras. The policies and
  277  procedures must include all of the following:
  278         (a) General guidelines for the proper use, maintenance, and
  279  storage of body cameras and vehicle dash cameras.
  280         (b) Any limitations on which law enforcement officers are
  281  required permitted to wear body cameras and use vehicle dash
  282  cameras.
  283         (c) Any limitations on law-enforcement-related encounters
  284  and activities in which law enforcement officers are required
  285  permitted to wear body cameras and use vehicle dash cameras.
  286         (d) A provision authorizing permitting a law enforcement
  287  officer using a body camera or vehicle dash camera to review the
  288  recorded footage from the body camera or vehicle dash camera,
  289  upon his or her own initiative or request, before writing a
  290  report or providing a statement regarding any event arising
  291  within the scope of his or her official duties. Any such
  292  provision may not apply to an officer’s inherent duty to
  293  immediately disclose information necessary to secure an active
  294  crime scene or to identify suspects or witnesses.
  295         (e) General guidelines for the proper storage, retention,
  296  and release of audio and video data recorded by body cameras and
  297  vehicle dash cameras.
  298         (4)(3)Each A law enforcement agency under subsection (3)
  299  that permits its law enforcement officers to wear body cameras
  300  shall:
  301         (a) Ensure that all personnel who wear, use, maintain, or
  302  store body cameras and vehicle dash cameras are trained in the
  303  law enforcement agency’s policies and procedures concerning
  304  them.
  305         (b) Ensure that all personnel who use, maintain, store, or
  306  release audio or video data recorded by body cameras and vehicle
  307  dash cameras are trained in the law enforcement agency’s
  308  policies and procedures.
  309         (c) Retain audio and video data recorded by body cameras in
  310  accordance with the requirements of s. 119.021, except as
  311  otherwise provided by law.
  312         (d) Perform a periodic review of actual agency body camera
  313  and vehicle dash camera practices to ensure conformity with the
  314  agency’s policies and procedures.
  315         (4) Chapter 934 does not apply to body camera recordings
  316  made by law enforcement agencies that elect to use body cameras.
  317         Section 11. The Legislature finds that a proper and
  318  legitimate state purpose is served by safeguarding law
  319  enforcement officers and the persons they interact with on a
  320  daily basis and by validating the accuracy of the circumstances
  321  surrounding such interactions. The Legislature determines and
  322  declares that this act fulfills an important state interest.
  323         Section 12. Section 943.6872, Florida Statutes, is created
  324  to read:
  325         943.6872 Investigations of officer-involved deaths.—
  326         (1)As used in this section, the term:
  327         (a)“Law enforcement agency” means an agency that has as
  328  its primary mission the prevention and detection of crime and
  329  the enforcement of the penal, criminal, traffic, and motor
  330  vehicle laws of this state and, in furtherance of that primary
  331  mission, employs law enforcement officers.
  332         (b)“Law enforcement officer” has the same meaning as in s.
  333  943.10.
  334         (c)“Officer-involved death” means the death of an
  335  individual which results directly from an action or an omission
  336  by a law enforcement officer while the law enforcement officer
  337  is on duty or while he or she is off duty but performing
  338  activities that are within the scope of his or her law
  339  enforcement duties.
  340         (2)Each law enforcement agency in this state shall have a
  341  written policy regarding the investigation of officer-involved
  342  deaths that involve a law enforcement officer employed by that
  343  law enforcement agency. Each policy adopted under this
  344  subsection:
  345         (a)Must require that any such investigation be conducted
  346  by at least two investigators, one of whom must be designated
  347  the lead investigator. An investigator may not be employed by
  348  the law enforcement agency that employs a law enforcement
  349  officer involved in the officer-involved death.
  350         (b)Must require that, if the officer-involved death being
  351  investigated is traffic-related, the investigators use a crash
  352  reconstruction unit from a law enforcement agency that does not
  353  employ a law enforcement officer involved in the officer
  354  involved death; however, the policy may provide that, if the law
  355  enforcement agency is a state law enforcement agency, the state
  356  law enforcement agency may use a crash reconstruction unit from
  357  the same state law enforcement agency.
  358         (c)May allow an internal investigation of the officer
  359  involved death if the internal investigation does not interfere
  360  with the investigation conducted under paragraph (a).
  361         (3)Compensation for investigations conducted under
  362  paragraph (2)(a) or paragraph (2)(b) may be determined in a
  363  manner consistent with mutual aid agreements.
  364         (4)(a)The investigators who conduct an investigation under
  365  paragraph (2)(a) or paragraph (2)(b) shall provide, in an
  366  expeditious manner, a complete report to the state attorney of
  367  the judicial circuit in which the officer-involved death
  368  occurred.
  369         (b)If the state attorney determines that there is no basis
  370  for prosecuting the law enforcement officer involved in the
  371  officer-involved death, the investigators who provided the
  372  report to the state attorney must publicly release the completed
  373  report, after redacting any information as required by law.
  374         Section 13. Section 943.6875, Florida Statutes, is created
  375  to read:
  376         943.6875Early intervention systems for law enforcement
  377  officers.—
  378         (1)The Legislature finds that a small percentage of law
  379  enforcement officers is responsible for a disproportionate
  380  number of excessive force complaints received by law enforcement
  381  agencies. The Legislature also finds that proactive and early
  382  identification of that small percentage of law enforcement
  383  officers and intervention through mentorship, counseling, and
  384  additional training may lead to positive outcomes in the careers
  385  of such officers and in their encounters with the public.
  386         (2)The Legislature intends for all law enforcement
  387  agencies in this state to create early intervention systems to
  388  proactively identify law enforcement officers who are likely to
  389  engage in potentially damaging behaviors, such as excessive
  390  force, before such behaviors occur in order to protect such
  391  officers, other law enforcement officers, and the members of the
  392  public with whom they interact and to offer intervention through
  393  mentorship, counseling, and additional training.
  394         (3)Every law enforcement agency in this state shall create
  395  an early intervention system to track and identify potentially
  396  damaging patterns of behavior by law enforcement officers.
  397         (4)Risk indicators to track which may identify potentially
  398  damaging patterns of behavior by law enforcement officers
  399  include, but need not be limited to:
  400         (a)Complaints against an individual law enforcement
  401  officer or a group of law enforcement officers.
  402         (b)Frequency and severity of disciplinary incidents.
  403         (c)Incidents involving use of force.
  404         (d)Incidents involving use of deadly force.
  405         (e)Arrests made by a law enforcement officer of
  406  individuals for resisting arrest.
  407         (f)Reports of injuries suffered by a law enforcement
  408  officer.
  409         (g)Vehicle accidents involving a law enforcement officer.
  410         (h)Civil litigation filed against a law enforcement
  411  officer.
  412         Section 14. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
  413  act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2021.

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