HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS
BILL #: CS/HB 801 Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Training for Law Enforcement
Officers
SPONSOR(S): Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Buchanan
TIED BILLS: IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 208
REFERENCE ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF
1) Criminal Justice Subcommittee 16 Y, 0 N, As CS Leshko Hall
2) Justice Appropriations Subcommittee 13 Y, 0 N Saag Keith
3) Judiciary Committee 19 Y, 0 N Leshko Kramer
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
Dementia is an overarching classification of diseases whose characteristic symptoms present as difficulties
with memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking skills. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common
form of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s disease is
an incurable, progressive brain disorder that damages nerve cells in the brain, leading to memory loss and
changes in the functions of the brain, with symptoms worsening gradually over time.
Sections 943.11 and 943.12, F.S., create the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC)
within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and require CJSTC to establish uniform minimum
training standards for the training of officers in the various criminal justice disciplines. Section 943.13, F.S.,
requires all law enforcement officer applicants to complete a CJSTC-approved basic recruit training program.
After obtaining certification and as a condition of continued employment or appointment, s. 943.135, F.S.,
requires law enforcement officers to receive at least 40 hours of CJSTC-approved continued employment
training (CET) every four years.
Section 943.17296, F.S., requires each certified law enforcement officer to complete training in identifying and
investigating elder abuse and neglect as a part of his or her basic recruit training or as CET. Such training must
include instruction on the identification of and appropriate responses to persons suffering from dementia and
on identifying and investigating elder abuse and neglect. The CJSTC, however, does not currently offer
specific post-basic training on Alzheimer’s disease or related forms of dementia.
CS/HB 801 creates s. 943.17299, F.S., to require FDLE to establish an online, continued employment training
component relating to Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. The bill requires the training
component to be developed in consultation with the Department of Elder Affairs and to include, but not be
limited to, instruction on interacting with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia,
including instruction on techniques for:
Recognizing behavioral symptoms and characteristics;
Effective communication;
Employing alternatives to using physical restraints; and
Identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
The bill specifies that completion of the training component may count toward the 40 hours of instruction
required for continued employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer.
The bill will have an insignificant negative impact on FDLE for the costs of developing and implementing the
new training component. See Fiscal Analysis & Economic Impact Statement.
The bill provides an effective date of October 1, 2024.
This docum ent does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives .
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FULL ANALYSIS
I. SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES:
Background
Dementia
Dementia is an overarching classification of diseases whose characteristic symptoms present as
difficulties with memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking skills.1 Dementia affects millions
of people and is more common as people grow older, with about one-third of all people age 85 or older
developing some form of dementia.2
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60 to 80
percent of all dementia cases.3 Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable, progressive brain disorder that
damages nerve cells in the brain, leading to memory loss and changes in the functions of the brain,
with symptoms worsening gradually over time. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease may develop
changes in mood, personality, or behavior. A common behavior that individuals with Alzheimer’s
disease frequently develop is wandering.4 Wandering occurs when a person leaves the safety of a
responsible caregiver or a safe area and cannot retrace their steps, often becoming lost.5
Approximately twelve to 60 percent of individuals with a cognitive disability wander and approximately
five percent of wandering instances result in physical harm to the disabled person.6
There are an estimated 6.93 million people in the United States with Alzheimer’s disease.7 By 2060, the
number of people with Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. is expected to double to a projected 13.85
million people.8
Florida has the second highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the country. Currently,
approximately 580,000 Floridians over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease; however, it is estimated
that by 2025, that number will rise to 720,000.9
Law Enforcement and Alzheimer’s Disease
Law enforcement officers regularly interact with individuals exhibiting Alzheimer’s disease symptoms,
such as confusion, disorientation, and wandering. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease often cannot ask
for help and may not even recognize they need help. One researcher estimated that an average
search-and-rescue operation for an individual with Alzheimer’s disease lasts about 9 hours. 10
1 Alzheimer’s Association, 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-facts-and-
figures.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
2 National Institute on Aging, What Is Dementia? Symptoms, Types, and Diagnosis, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-
dementia/what-dementia-symptoms-types-and-diagnosis (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
3
Alzheimer’s Association, supra note 1, at 7.
4 Alzheimer’s Association, supra note 1, at 5.
5 Id.
6 Joseph Wherton, et al., Wandering as a Sociomaterial Practice: Extending the Theorization of GPS Tracking in Cognitive Impairment,
29 Qual. Health Res., (Sept. 14, 2018),
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1049732318798358#articleCitationDownloadContainer (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
7 Kumar B. Rajan, Ph.D., et al., Population Estimate of People with Clinical AD and Mild Cognitive Impairment in the United States
(2020-2060), 17 Alzheimers Dement. 12, (May 27, 2021).
8 Id.
9 Florida Department of Elder Affairs, 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee Annual Report, https://elderaffairs.org/wp-
content/uploads/ADAC-Report-2023.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
10 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Bulletin, Robert Schaefer and Julie McNiff, Awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease,
https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/awareness-of-alzheimers-disease (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
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Law Enforcement Training
Sections 943.11 and 943.12, F.S., create the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission
(CJSTC) within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and require CJSTC to establish
uniform minimum training standards for the training of officers in the various criminal justice
disciplines.11 Section 943.13, F.S., requires all law enforcement officer applicants to complete a
CJSTC-approved basic recruit training program.12
After obtaining certification and as a condition of continued employment or appointment, s. 943.135,
F.S., requires law enforcement officers to receive at least 40 hours of CJSTC-approved continued
employment training (CET) every four years. The employing agency must document that the CET is
job-related and consistent with the needs of the employing agency, and report training completion to
the CJSTC through the Automated Training Management System.13
Current Florida law requires FDLE to develop CET relating to various special topics, such as training
related to diabetic emergencies 14, autism spectrum disorder15, and identifying and investigating elder
abuse and neglect16.
Section 943.17296, F.S., requires each certified law enforcement officer to complete training in
identifying and investigating elder abuse and neglect as a part of his or her basic recruit training or as
CET. Such training must include instruction on the identification of and appropriate responses to
persons suffering from dementia and on identifying and investigating elder abuse and neglect.
The CJSTC, however, does not currently offer specific post-basic training on Alzheimer’s disease or
related forms of dementia.
Effect of Proposed Changes
CS/HB 801, creates s. 943.17299, F.S., to require FDLE to establish an online, continued employment
training component relating to Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. The bill requires the
training component to be developed in consultation with the Department of Elder Affairs and to include,
but not be limited to instruction on interacting with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of
dementia, including instruction on techniques for:
Recognizing behavioral symptoms and characteristics;
Effective communication;
Employing alternatives to using physical restraints; and
Identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
The bill provides that completion of the training component may count toward the 40 hours of
instruction required for continued employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer.
The bill provides an effective date of October 1, 2024.
B. SECTION DIRECTORY:
Section 1: Creates s. 943.17299, F.S., relating to continued employment training relating to
Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.
Section 2: Provides an effective date of October 1, 2024.
II. FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT
11 S. 943.12(5), F.S.
12 S. 943.13(9), F.S.
13 FDLE, Agency Analysis of 2024 House Bill 801, p. 5 (Dec. 8, 2023)(on file with the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee).
14 S. 943.1726, F.S.
15 S. 943.1727, F.S.
16 S. 943.17296, F.S.
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A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
The bill may have an insignificant negative impact on FDLE expenditures due to costs of developing
and implementing the new online continued education training component required by the bill.
FDLE estimates that the total cost to develop and implement the training component will be
approximately $11,000.17 However, this cost can be absorbed within existing resources.
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR:
None.
D. FISCAL COMMENTS:
None.
III. COMMENTS
A. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES:
1. Applicability of Municipality/County Mandates Provision:
Not Applicable. This bill does not appear to require counties or municipalities to spend funds or take
action requiring the expenditures of funds; reduce the authority that counties or municipalities have
to raise revenues in the aggregate; or reduce the percentage of state tax shared with counties or
municipalities.
2. Other:
None.
B. RULE-MAKING AUTHORITY:
None.
C. DRAFTING ISSUES OR OTHER COMMENTS:
None.
IV. AMENDMENTS/COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE CHANGES
On January 19, 2024, the Criminal Justice Subcommittee adopted an amendment and reported the bill
favorably as a committee substitute. The amendment:
Changed the effective date of the bill from July 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024.
Made a technical change.
17 FDLE, supra at note 13.
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This analysis is drafted to the committee substitute as passed by the Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
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