S4394-119

What This Bill Does

The Promoting Police Leadership Act builds a federal training framework for command-level law-enforcement personnel: officers who manage, direct, or oversee operations in a geographic subunit of a State, local, or Tribal law-enforcement agency. The Attorney General must develop or identify curricula covering leadership, critical incident response, risk management, officer wellness, data-driven policing, evidence-based decisions, and community trust. DOJ must also certify courses, terminate certifications that fail standards, encourage educational-institution partnerships, publish a list of agencies whose officers complete the courses, report annually, and support a GAO review while preserving state and local certification authority.

Who Benefits and How

Command-level police officers benefit from curricula focused on leadership, incident management, officer wellness, data analysis, and community trust. State, local, and Tribal law-enforcement agencies benefit when commanders produce evidence-based problem-solving projects tailored to their jurisdictions. Universities and law-enforcement leadership programs benefit from partnership criteria for certified training programs. Communities served by participating agencies benefit if better-trained commanders improve crisis response, officer wellness, and public trust. Congress benefits from Attorney General reports and a GAO review of DOJ implementation and training outcomes.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Attorney General must develop curricula, certify courses, publish completion lists, report annually, and support GAO review. DOJ training offices must consult law-enforcement agencies, universities, and other experts, then administer certification and termination processes. Training providers must include in-person instruction, peer learning, assessments, and practical evidence-based projects to qualify. Participating law-enforcement agencies must send command-level personnel and support agency-specific implementation projects. GAO must review DOJ actions and assess whether the program improves leadership and management capacity.

Key Provisions

• Requires DOJ to develop or identify command-level law-enforcement leadership curricula within 180 days.
• Establishes curriculum topics including critical incident response, officer wellness, data-driven policing, evidence-based decision making, and community trust.
• Creates a certification process for programs and courses, including termination of certifications that fail standards.
• Requires publication of participating law-enforcement agencies and annual Attorney General reports.
• Provides a GAO review while preserving State and local authority over police training standards.