# The COPS Counseling Act: What It Does

This bill protects conversations between federal law enforcement officers and peer counselors from being shared with others. When officers go through traumatic experiences on the job—like witnessing violence or dealing with critical incidents—many departments offer peer support programs where trained officers provide emotional support and counseling. Right now, there's no federal protection keeping those conversations private, which can discourage officers from seeking help. This bill changes that by making those peer counseling conversations confidential, similar to how conversations with a therapist or doctor are protected.

The confidentiality protection applies to everything discussed in peer support sessions: the actual conversations, notes taken during sessions, and even follow-up discussions between peer counselors and their supervisors about what was said. Neither the peer counselor nor the officer receiving support can share what was discussed with anyone outside the program. This is meant to create a safe space where officers feel comfortable opening up about stress, mental health struggles, or difficult experiences without worrying that their words could be used against them later.

However, the bill includes important exceptions where confidentiality doesn't apply. If someone mentions they're planning to hurt themselves or others, that information can be shared to prevent harm. Similarly, if an officer admits to committing a crime or reveals child abuse or neglect, those matters can be reported. Additionally, if both the officer and the peer counselor agree, they can share information, and courts can still compel disclosure through legal orders or subpoenas. The bill also requires peer counselors to inform officers in writing about these confidentiality rules and exceptions before their first session.

Beyond protecting conversations, the bill directs the Attorney General to develop best practices guidelines for peer support programs across all first responders—not just federal officers, but also state and local police, firefighters, and paramedics. These guidelines will cover how to set up and run these programs, how to train peer counselors, and what ethical standards they should follow. The goal is to make mental health support more accessible and standardized across the country's first responder agencies.

COPS Counseling Act

Trone, David J.

Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support Counseling Act or the COPS Counseling Act This bill sets forth requirements related to peer support counseling programs. A peer support counseling program is a program provided by a law enforcement agency that provides counseling services from a peer support specialist to a law enforcement officer of the agency. Among other things, the bill does the following: <ul> <li>generally prohibits the disclosure of the contents of a peer support communication, and</li> <li>requires the Department of Justice to develop best practices and professional standards for peer support counseling programs.</li> </ul>