Training teaches police how to deal with the mentally ill

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - Local police agencies have formed Crisis Intervention Team training to better deal with people exhibiting signs of mental illness.

With the closing of many state-run facilities for the mentally ill, law enforcement officials are having to deal with them on the streets and in crisis situations. Many are arrested and placed in the Madison County Detention Center.

In November, the Anderson Police Department hosted Crisis Intervention Team training and opened it up to other law enforcement agencies. A total of 27 officers from six Indiana law enforcement agencies took part in the 40-hour exercise.

For the past several years, veteran police officer Johnathan Konkle was convinced there had to be a better way to respond to calls for help that involve people who exhibit signs of mental illness.

The local effort was spearheaded by Konkle, who is now training coordinator for the Anderson Police Department. He went through the training in 2012 when the Madison County Sheriff's and the Chesterfield Police departments participated.

According to national statistics, more than one in five people in the United States suffer from some form of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder, personality disorders, trauma and eating disorders. The most common mental illnesses are anxiety and depressive disorders.

Through Konkle's efforts, APD took the opportunity a step further and brought the training to Anderson and Madison County.

The program was vital due to the decades-long decline in mental health hospital beds and facilities, he said. The goal is to help keep people with mental health issues out of local jails as much as possible.

The Crisis Intervention Team approach originated in Memphis, Tennessee. It is an innovative program designed to provide training and education to law enforcement officers to assist them in more effectively managing crisis events in the community when they encounter individuals who are experiencing behavioral health crises due to mental illness or other contributing factors such as substance abuse.

Upon completion of the course, officers are better prepared to:

. Understand the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders.

. Recognize when those signs and symptoms represent a crisis situation.

. Safely de-escalate individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.

. Utilize community resources and diversion strategies that are available to provide emergency assistance.

"This program is a priority," Mayor Thomas J. Broderick Jr. said via a press release. "Mental health issues have not been given adequate attention over the past several years, in my view. I am proud the City of Anderson is helping to lead the way in Madison County to change this.

"Providing this training and others in the future will help to ensure that our officers are adequately trained and using the most effective techniques to ensure their safety and the safety of others when responding to situations involving the mentally ill," he said.

Local partners participating included the Anderson Center, Aspire and Nathan Barlow of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Training Academy.

The training consisted of intensive role playing based on real situations officers have faced in the field.

They also spent time meeting with people who have mental illness. This gave them the opportunity to learn what it's like to live with the illness, and their past experiences with the police.

This was not the first training exercise in mental health response for APD. Officers have also had training opportunities in stress management debriefing and have partnered with local therapists to conduct sessions with people who have experienced a traumatic incident.

"It's important for the Anderson Police Department to be progressive in it's training," said Konkle. "Everyday our officers encounter individuals with a mental illness and they need to know how to effectively manage these situations to try and prevent an unfortunate ending. CIT is a proven training method that helps our officers ensure that our citizens are getting the help they deserve."

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Source: The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, http://bit.ly/2iqUK7a

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Information from: The Herald Bulletin, http://www.theheraldbulletin.com