law enforcement

Under Amendment 3, adults will be allowed to possess, purchase or use marijuana products for nonmedical reasons.

The law will be part of the motor vehicle registration process. Sponsors say it will make officers mindful of possible medical conditions of someone in the vehicle who may not respond to commands as expected.

The course would be developed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in consultation with the Department of Elder Affairs.

The optional online course would teach how to interact with people who have dementia, recognize behaviors, use alternatives to physical restraints and spot signs of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

A new program aims to alert law enforcement that an occupant within a home or a vehicle has autism. Police departments have increased training on how to interact with individuals on the spectrum.

Advocates say schools nationwide are misusing the practice in response to behaviors prompted by bullying or frustration over assignments. The hospital trips for psych evals, they say, often follow months of students' needs not being met.

The American College of Emergency Physicians called its 2009 report outdated and said the term should not be used by members who testify in civil or criminal cases.

The term has been around for decades but has been used increasingly over the past 15 years to explain how a person experiencing severe agitation can die suddenly through no fault of the police.

The St. Petersburg College program aims to give officers tools to support colleagues with stressors they face on the job and in their personal lives. The first cohort includes 14 officers from various agencies.

Last year, 64 police officers were fatally shot in the line of duty. There were 160 who took their own lives. Miami-Dade police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez stands as a tragic example of where mental health and policing intersect.