HR 3389119th CongressIntroduced

Alzheimer’s Law Enforcement Education Act of 2025

Introduced: May 14, 2025

Civil Rights & JusticeHealthcare

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Alzheimer’s Law Enforcement Education Act of 2025 would require the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) within the Department of Justice to create an online training course about Alzheimer's disease and similar dementias within one year of enactment. The course would be developed in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Key topics would include how to interact with people who have dementia, recognizing behavioral symptoms, effective communication, alternatives to physical restraints, and identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The bill also directs that participation in the course could count toward the continuing education requirements for law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers, helping states and agencies count this training toward their required hours. In short, the bill aims to standardize dementia-related training for law enforcement and corrections, provide accessible online instruction, and encourage official acknowledgment of the training in personnel credentialing. It does not specify funding for the effort and relies on federal guidance to influence state and local training requirements.

Key Points

1The Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services must establish an online training course on Alzheimer’s and related dementias within one year, created with input from HHS and CMS.
2The course must cover: interacting with people with dementia, recognizing behavioral symptoms, communicating effectively, alternatives to physical restraints, and spotting signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
3The initiative involves collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the CMS Administrator during development.
4The Director must seek to have participation in the course counted toward required continuing employment hours for law enforcement, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers.
5The bill envisions this training as a nationwide (online) resource to improve handling of dementia-related incidents by police and corrections personnel.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers who would take the training and use it to satisfy continuing education requirements.Secondary group/area affected: State and local agencies and departments that set training hour requirements or credentialing standards for officers; dementia patients and their families who may experience safer, more appropriate interactions during encounters.Additional impacts: Potentially improved detection and reporting of abuse or neglect related to dementia; reduced use of physical restraints and associated risks; increased nationwide consistency in how incidents involving individuals with dementia are handled. The bill does not specify funding, so implementation might depend on existing federal, state, or local resources.

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