North Carolina SB 454: Registration of Petroleum Device Technicians.-AB

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 454

Short Title: Community Safety Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Everitt, Grafstein, and Bradley (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 25, 2025
*S454-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN POLICIES AND STANDARDS SURROUNDING LAW 2
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
PART I. DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO ASSIST LAW 6
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN APPLYING FOR GRANT FUNDS AND FUND 7
POSITIONS TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS PART 8
SECTION 1.1. The Department of Justice shall provide assistance to law 9
enforcement agencies seeking grant funds, including, but not limited to, the following: 10
(1) Alerting law enforcement agencies to available grant funds. 11
(2) Assisting law enforcement agencies with drafting and submitting grant 12
proposals and applications. 13
SECTION 1.2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 14
Justice one million dollars ($1,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be 15
used to hire grant writers to assist law enforcement agencies pursuant to the requirements of 16
Section 1.1 of this Part. 17
SECTION 1.3. This Part becomes effective July 1, 2025. 18
19
PART II. SUPPORT COMMUNITY POLICING PROGRAMS 20
SECTION 2.1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 21
Justice the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal 22
year to be used to award grants to law enforcement agencies for initiatives supporting community 23
policing. 24
SECTION 2.2. This Part becomes effective July 1, 2025. 25
26
PART III. CREATE INCENTIVES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND 27
AGENCIES 28
SECTION 3.1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 29
Justice the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) in recurring funds for 30
the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be used to provide the following types of grants: 31
(1) Grants provided to law enforcement agencies to be awarded to law 32
enforcement officers exhibiting exemplary service, as established by the 33
Department of Justice. 34
(2) Grants awarded to law enforcement agencies for meeting racial or gender 35
diversity benchmarks, as established by the Department of Justice. 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 454-First Edition
SECTION 3.2. No grant awarded pursuant to this Part shall exceed ten thousand 1
dollars ($10,000). 2
SECTION 3.3. This Part becomes effective July 1, 2025. 3
4
PART IV. REVISE POLICE USE OF FORCE POLICIES 5
SECTION 4.1. G.S. 15A-401(d) reads as rewritten: 6
"(d) Use of Force in Arrest. – 7
... 8
(2) A law-enforcement officer is justified in using deadly physical force upon 9
another person for a purpose specified in subdivision (1) of this subsection 10
only when it is or appears to be reasonably necessary thereby: 11
... 12
Strangleholds, lateral vascular neck restraints, carotid restraints, or any other 13
tactics that restrict oxygen or blood flow to the head or neck shall be 14
considered the use of deadly force under this subdivision. 15
Nothing in this subdivision constitutes justification for willful, malicious or 16
criminally negligent conduct by any person which injures or endangers any 17
person or property, nor shall it be construed to excuse or justify the use of 18
unreasonable or excessive force. 19
(3) Under all circumstances in which a law-enforcement officer uses force of any 20
kind, a law-enforcement officer shall use the minimum amount of force 21
reasonably necessary to accomplish the law-enforcement action and shall 22
attempt to utilize de-escalation tactics when possible." 23
SECTION 4.2. The Attorney General, in consultation with the North Carolina 24
Sheriffs' Association and the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, shall develop 25
uniform use of force policies that may be adopted by all law enforcement agencies in the State. 26
These policies shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and 27
Public Safety no later than December 1, 2025, shall be published on the Department of Justice 28
website, and shall be distributed in digital format by the Attorney General to all law enforcement 29
agencies in the State. 30
SECTION 4.3. Section 4.1 of this Part becomes effective October 1, 2025, and 31
applies to actions taken on or after that date. The remainder of this Part is effective when it 32
becomes law. 33
34
PART V. ESTABLISH MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE HIRING AND TRAINING 35
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS 36
SECTION 5.1. G.S. 17C-6(a) reads as rewritten: 37
"(a) In addition to powers conferred upon the Commission elsewhere in this Article, the 38
Commission shall have the following powers, which shall be enforceable through its rules and 39
regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of G.S. 17C-10: 40
... 41
(