SB1234 Kuehl !SIGNED! Hate Crimes/PWD's

SB 1234, Kuehl. Crimes: civil rights.
This bill would revise and recast the provisions relating to hatecrimes by, among other things, providing a definition for the term"hate crime." This bill would reduce the above property damage amountto $400. Because this bill would change the definition of existingcrimes and expand the scope of an existing crime, it would impose astate-mandated local program. Under existing law, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards andTraining is required to establish and keep updated a continuingeducation classroom training course relating to law enforcementinteraction with developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons.The course is required to contain core instruction in specifiedareas. This bill would change the term "developmentally disabled andmentally ill persons" to "mentally disabled persons." This billwould include in the course instruction by July 1, 2006, instructionon the fact that the crime was committed in whole or in part becauseof an actual or perceived disability of the victim is a hate crime.The bill would require the commission, using available funding, todevelop by July 1, 2005, a 2-hour telecourse to be made available toall law enforcement agencies in California on crimes against homelesspersons and on how to deal effectively and humanely with homelesspersons, including homeless persons with disabilities. Thetelecourse would be required to include information on multimissioncriminal extremism, as defined.