HB 256-LAW ENFORCEMENT: REGISTRY; USE OF FORCE  8:54:59 AM CO-CHAIR HANNAN announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 256, "An Act relating to the Alaska Police Standards Council; relating to municipal correctional officers and municipal correctional employees; making municipal police officers subject to police standards; requiring the Department of Public Safety to submit a yearly use-of-force report to the legislature; requiring a municipality that employs a person as a municipal police officer or in a municipal correctional facility, the Department of Corrections, or the Department of Public Safety to report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation incidents of use of force by state and municipal police, probation, parole, and correctional officers and municipal correctional facility employees; and providing for an effective date." [Before the committee, adopted as a working document on 3/15/22, was the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 256, Version 32-LS1341\B, Ambrose/Radford, 3/11/22 ("Version B").] 8:55:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE GERAN TARR, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor of HB 256, noted that there was a handout added to the committee packet that lists the data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) [pertaining to use of deadly force]. A second document lists the 21 agencies currently participating in reporting to the FBI. A third handout provides a definition referred to by Kelly Howell during the hearing on HB 256 on 3/15/22. 8:57:20 AM REPRESENTATIVE TARR, in response to Representative Prax saying he has heard complaints that the provisions of HB 256 would overburden the [law enforcement] system, pointed out that the list of agencies that has been provided to the committee is a list of agencies participating voluntarily with reporting, and it's about 80 percent of law enforcement professionals in the state. She said that indicates to her that it is a system that is easy to implement. She mentioned the uniformed crime report, which other law enforcement entities not on the list are using; therefore, switching from one to the other would not be overburdensome. She said the FBI provides training modules on how to implement this system, and "the department" is available to support in a technical capacity. In response to a follow-up question as to whether this is a new means of collecting data or whether it will require new data, she said Section 1 of HB 256 directs the Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC) to develop the regulations for this reporting. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX suggested boots on the ground as a way to find out what goes on. 9:04:09 AM LISA PURINTON, Chief, Criminal Records and Identification Bureau, Division of Statewide Services, Department of Public Safety, in response to Representative Prax's question, explained that the sworn offices would not likely be doing the paperwork; it would be done by clerical staff, who are already reviewing incidence reports. 9:05:15 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said he sees the data as a defense of police departments. He indicated that he is satisfied with HB 256, [Version B]. 9:06:43 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY talked about incremental small demands on time that increase to be unmanageable. He expressed concern about the safety of officers. He questioned whether this bill would serve to create a situation where officers become wary and don't want to serve. 9:10:34 AM REPRESENTATIVE TARR, to Representative McCarty's first point, reiterated the 80 percent voluntary participant rate. Regarding officers' behavior, she said HB 256 would not direct them to do anything differently, and she thinks they would continue making the right decision. She explained that the purpose of the reporting is to discern the incidences and why things are happening, thus preventing casualties "on both sides." She said the data is used to show trends. She spoke about de-escalation to avoid a deadly result. 9:14:26 AM MS. PURINTON added that currently in state law, the data is reported. She said the majority of the reporting will show that there is nothing to report, which requires little time. In response to a follow-up question, she said currently the report must be made in the FBI's database; the Department of Public Safety is exploring the option to streamline the process. She also noted that the FBI reporting requirement just went live in 2019; 60 percent of law enforcement agencies in the country are part of the reporting at present. She talked about a goal to provide good statistics out of the data. 9:20:55 AM CO-CHAIR HANNAN clarified that this is collection of data; it is not deciding when use of force is justified or not. She described how it could be helpful to have the data, and she remarked that 60 percent reporting that data across the country is not a lot. 9:24:07 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE remarked how the data could be used to determine, for example, whether a certain drug is creating the need for the use of deadly force. 9:25:30 AM REPRESENTATIVE TARR made closing comments. She expressed appreciation for law enforcement professionals in Alaska's communities. 9:26:32 AM CO-CHAIR SCHRAGE moved to report CSHB 256, Version 32-LS1341\B, Ambrose/Radford, 3/11/22, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection CSHB 256(CRA) was reported out of the House Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.