THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY GERGELY, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, VEREB, BELFANTI, BRADFORD, BURNS, COHEN, D. COSTA, P. COSTA, DONATUCCI, ELLIS, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, GOODMAN, HARKINS, HENNESSEY, HORNAMAN, KILLION, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY, MELIO, MENSCH, METZGAR, MURPHY, MURT, M. O'BRIEN, PASHINSKI, PYLE, SIPTROTH, VULAKOVICH AND WALKO, APRIL 22, 2009

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 22, 2009  

AN ACT

Amending Title 44 (Law and Justice) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, providing for confidential

communications to a critical incident stress management team

member by law enforcement officers.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Title 44 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes is amended by adding a part to read:

PART IV

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Chapter

41.  Preliminary Provisions (Reserved)

43.  Critical Incident Stress Management

CHAPTER 41

PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

(Reserved)

CHAPTER 43

CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT

Sec.

4301.  Definitions.

4302.  Confidential communications.

§ 4301.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter

shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Crisis response services."  Consultation, risk assessment,

referral and onsite crisis intervention services provided by a

critical incident stress management team to a law enforcement

officer who has employed the use of deadly force in the course

and scope of the officer's employment.

"Critical incident stress management team member."  An

individual specially trained to provide crisis response services

as a member of a police organization crisis response team that

holds membership in the Commonwealth's critical incident stress

management network.

"Debriefing session."  A session during which crisis response

services are rendered by a critical incident stress management

team member during or after the use of deadly force by a law

enforcement officer.

"Law enforcement officer."  Any of the following:

(1)  A member of the Pennsylvania State Police.

(2)  Any enforcement officer or investigator employed by

the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

(3)  A parole agent, enforcement officer and investigator

of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.

(4)  A Capitol Police officer.

(5)  A Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

ranger.

(6)  A drug enforcement agent of the Office of Attorney

General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the drug

laws of this Commonwealth and a special agent of the Office

of Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement

of the criminal laws of this Commonwealth.

(7)  Any member of a port authority or other authority

police department.

(8)  Any police officer of a county, city, borough, town

or township.

(9)  Any sheriff or deputy sheriff.

§ 4302.  Confidential communications.

(a)  Disclosure.--Except as provided under subsection (b), a

critical incident stress management team member who, while in

the course of his duties, has acquired information from any law

enforcement officer secretly and in confidence, may not be

compelled or allowed without the consent of the law enforcement

officer to disclose that information in a legal proceeding,

trial or investigation before any government unit.

(b)  Exceptions.--The testimonial privilege established under

subsection (a) shall not apply if any of the following apply:

(1)  The communication or advice indicates clear and

present danger to the law enforcement officer who receives

crisis response services or to other persons.

(2)  The law enforcement officer who received crisis

response services gives express consent to the testimony.

(3)  The law enforcement officer who received crisis

response services is deceased and the surviving spouse or the

executor or administrator of the estate of the deceased law

enforcement officer gives express consent.

(4)  The law enforcement officer who received crisis

response services voluntarily testifies, in which case the

critical incident stress management team member may be

compelled to testify on the same subject.

(5)  The court in camera determines that the information

communicated by the law enforcement officer who received

crisis response services is not germane to the relationship

between the law enforcement officer and the team member.

(6)  The communication or advice pertains or is related

to any criminal act.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.