| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a border operations training program for peace officers |
|
|
employed by local law enforcement agencies. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 411.02094 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.02094. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. (a) |
|
|
The department, in coordination with local law enforcement |
|
|
agencies, shall establish and administer a border operations |
|
|
training program for peace officers employed by local law |
|
|
enforcement agencies that will prepare the officers to: |
|
|
(1) collaborate and cooperate with and assist any law |
|
|
enforcement agency in the interdiction, investigation, and |
|
|
prosecution of criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) collaborate and cooperate with and assist district |
|
|
attorneys, county attorneys, the border prosecution unit, and other |
|
|
prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of allegations of |
|
|
criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region. |
|
|
(b) The training program under Subsection (a) must include: |
|
|
(1) information on: |
|
|
(A) criminal activity occurring along the |
|
|
Texas-Mexico border, including drug trafficking and trafficking of |
|
|
persons and other activity carried out by cartels, transnational |
|
|
gangs, and other groups engaged in organized criminal activity; and |
|
|
(B) methods for identifying northbound, |
|
|
southbound, and intrastate criminal activity associated with drug |
|
|
trafficking, trafficking of persons, and other organized criminal |
|
|
activity; |
|
|
(2) best practices for investigating and prosecuting |
|
|
the criminal activity described by Subdivision (1) and securing the |
|
|
Texas-Mexico border; and |
|
|
(3) an overview of the department's operations at the |
|
|
Texas-Mexico border, including any collaboration with the United |
|
|
States Customs and Border Protection. |
|
|
(c) The department shall identify opportunities for a peace |
|
|
officer described by Subsection (a) to assist in the department's |
|
|
duties related to border operations. The department may authorize |
|
|
the officer to assist in carrying out those duties. |
|
|
(d) A peace officer authorized by the department to assist |
|
|
in carrying out duties related to the department's border |
|
|
operations as described by Subsection (c) is not entitled to |
|
|
compensation from the department for the assistance provided. |
|
|
(e) The department may partner with federal agencies in |
|
|
administering the training program under Subsection (a) and |
|
|
facilitating any assistance provided by a peace officer under |
|
|
Subsection (c). |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 1701.359 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 1701.359. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. The |
|
|
commission may: |
|
|
(1) recognize, or with the consent of the Department |
|
|
of Public Safety administer or assist in administering, the border |
|
|
operations training program established under Section 411.02094, |
|
|
Government Code, as a continuing education program for officers; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) credit an officer who successfully completes the |
|
|
program described by Subdivision (1) with the appropriate number of |
|
|
continuing education hours. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
|
|
last day of the legislative session. |