Peace officers: training: hate crimes.

Existing law defines a "hate crime" as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to develop guidelines for instruction and training of law enforcement officers addressing hate crimes. Existing law authorizes each local law enforcement agency to adopt a hate crimes policy. This bill would require each local law enforcement agency to require peace officers to attend periodic training in the investigation of hate crimes, using the most recent POST training materials, and would authorize each agency to make the training culturally relevant to the community served by that agency. The bill would require POST to develop guidelines and establish standards for the frequency of that periodic training. By imposing additional duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.