Community Safety Act.

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 STANDA RDS SURROUNDING LAW 2
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
PART I. DIRECT THE D EPARTMENT 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 doll ars ($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 INC ENTIVES FOR LAW ENFO RCEMENT 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 l aw 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 TRA INING 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, wh ich shall be enforceable through its rules and 39
regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of G.S. 17C-10: 40
… 41
(2a) Establish the minimum age requirement that shall be met in order to qualify 42
for entry level employment as a criminal justice offi cer in temporary or 43
probationary status or in a permanent position, which shall not be less than 21 44
years of age. 45
…." 46
SECTION 5.2. G.S. 17C-13(b) reads as rewritten: 47
"(b) Notwithstanding G.S. 15A-145.4 or G.S. 15A-145.5, the Commission may gain 48
access to a person's misdemeanor and felony conviction records, including those maintained by 49
the Administrative Office of the Courts in its confidential files containing the names of persons 50
granted expunctions. The Commission may deny, suspend, or revoke a person's certification 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 454-First Edition Page 3
based solely on that person's felony conviction, conviction or the conviction of four or more 1
misdemeanors, whether or not that conviction was the convictions were expunged, unless the 2
conviction was convictions were expunged pursuant to G.S. 15A-145.4 or G.S. 15A-145.8A." 3
SECTION 5.3. G.S. 17E-4(a) reads as rewritten: 4
"(a) The Commission shall have the following powers, duties, and responsibilities, which 5
are enforceable through its rules and regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of 6
G.S. 17E-8 and G.S. 17E-9: 7
… 8
(2a) Establish the minimum age requirement that shall be met in order to qualify 9
for entry level employment as an officer in temporary or probationary status 10
or in a permanent position, which shall not be less than 21 years of age. 11
… 12
The Commission may certify, and no additional certification shall be required from it, programs, 13
courses and teachers certified by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training 14
Standards Commission. Where the Commission determines that a program, course, instructor or 15
teacher is required for an area which is unique to the office of sheriff, the Commission may certify 16
such program, course, instructor, or teacher under such standards and procedures as it may 17
establish." 18
SECTION 5.4. G.S. 17E-12(b) reads as rewritten: 19
"(b) Notwithstanding G.S. 15A-145.4 or G.S. 15A-145.5, the Commission may gain 20
access to a person's misdemeanor and felony conviction records, including those maintained by 21
the Administrative Office of the Courts in its confidential files containing the names of persons 22
granted expunctions. The Commission may deny, suspend, or revoke a person's certification 23
based solely on that person's felony conviction, conviction or the conviction of four or more 24
misdemeanors, whether or not that conviction was the convictions were expunged, unless the 25
conviction was convictions were expunged pursuant to G.S. 15A-145.4 or G.S. 15A-145.8A." 26
SECTION 5.5. Sections 5.1 and 5.3 of this Part become effective January 1, 2026, 27
and apply to officers hired or employed on or after that date. Sections 5.2 and 5.4 of this Part 28
become effective January 1, 2026, and apply to (i) officers hired on or after that date and (ii) 29
officers employed on or after that date that are convicted of a felony or misdemeanor on or after 30
that date. The remainder of this Part is effective when it becomes law. 31
32
PART VI. FUND ADDITI ONAL DETECTIVES OR I NVESTIGATIVE OFFICERS TO 33
INVESTIGATE THE SEVERE CRIMES 34
SECTION 6.1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 35
Justice the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal 36
year to be used to provide grants to law e nforcement agencies to temporarily provide partial or 37
total funding for detective or other investigative law enforcement positions in order to aid in the 38
investigation of person crimes that would constitute a charge of a Class D felony or higher. 39
SECTION 6.2. This Part becomes effective July 1, 2025. 40
41
PART VII. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND EFFECTIVE DATE 42
SECTION 7.1. If any Part, section, or provision of this act is declared 43
unconstitutional or invalid by the courts, it does not affect the validity of this act as a whole or 44
any portion other than the portion declared to be unconstitutional or invalid. 45
SECTION 7.2. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 46
law. 47