AUSTIN - Texas ninth-graders would be taught how to properly interact with police when they are stopped for traffic violations or if they are detained under a proposal announced Thursday by an influential state senator.

The announcement is the first of what is expected to be numerous bills be filed for the legislative session that begins in January to address citizen-police interactions as a way to de-escalate friction between law enforcement and various minority communities.

Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston, said his proposed legislation would require the Texas Education Agency to develop curriculum "in law enforcement duties and interaction."

If eventually approved by the Legislature, the law would be the first of its kind in Texas.

"There is no home team or visiting team. We must all come together to develop the best strategies to improve relations and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve," Whitmire said. "Increased training and education for both peace officers and our students will help foster positive relations and interactions."

Reaction to shootings

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At the behest of state leaders, Whitmire said his committee has been studying law enforcement efforts to engage community leaders and increase their involvement in communities following protests in several cities across the country over the fatal shootings of black men by police officers.

As part of that, Whitmire said, his committee is studying the number of injuries inflicted or suffered by law enforcement officers. In addition, the committee is reviewing dangers to law enforcement officers, and the collection and distribution of threat assessment data.

The committee's next hearing on the issue is slated for Oct. 4.

School advocates and education groups had mixed reactions to the proposal. They noted that state-required driver training programs already instruct teenagers how to act when they are stopped by police for a traffic violation.

Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said while the proposal sounds workable, the details will be important. Among those details is how the curriculum may differ from one area to another, if police agencies' procedures are different from one city to another.

"It sounds like it might have merit, and we'll look forward to seeing the bill," he said.

Tasha Rodriguez, a Pflugerville school-choice advocate who is African-American, said that while the idea sounds intriguing, "what's in the curriculum will make the difference.

"If this starts the conversation between communities of color and law enforcement, then good," the mother of three said. "But if the curriculum is one sided, then it may not make much difference. I support the police, but there needs to be dialogue between them and their community to relieve the tensions that are present in many cities."

'Not just show and tell'

Police groups contacted Thursday declined comment saying they wanted to see details of Whitmire's proposal first.

Whitmire said the goal of his proposal is to educate students on the proper way to interact with law enforcement.

"This is not just show and tell, it is the start of a serious discussion," he said. "It would probably be good for everyone in the state to take a course like this, but that probably can't happen."

He said the proposed curriculum could be different for rural areas of Texas than more diverse urban areas, but his plan is for it to be developed as a collaboration between school officials, community leaders and local law enforcement.

"Too often police encounters are ending in a tragedy, and that's what we want to stop," Whitmire said. "If you feel an officer does you wrong, you don't take it up with them out on the street, you take it up with an administrator. That's one of the things I think we'll teach."