Officers Taught to Intervene in Crisis
The Arizona Republic, Feb. 16, 2006 12:00 AM - Every day, police officers meet people in crisis.
They could be suicidal, homeless, have lost a job or be suffering from mental illness. They may be causing a nuisance or threatening their lives or the safety of others.
It's an officers' job to respond safely and efficiently. This week, officers and government officials from as far away a Flagstaff are in Mesa learning how better to interact and assist those who need the most help.
Thirty-two people are attending a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) course at Mesa's Public Safety Training Center, offered by Mesa and Phoenix police and Value Options.
Since 2001, about 900 officers have received the specialty training in Maricopa County. Officers from Buckeye, Flagstaff, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Gilbert and Mesa and staff from the governor's ombudsman's office are attending the classes.
Mesa is the only agency in the Valley to train its dispatchers and 911 operators in crisis intervention. The city now is putting detention officers through the four-hour class. Scottsdale and Phoenix are looking at training dispatchers using Mesa's model.
Tom Gussie, Mesa police CIT and driving coordinator, was awarded the department's chief's community partnership award last month for his work. Gussie started developing classes in 1999 to help Mesa officers work with developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. That work has grown and he now helps train other agencies.
Officials said the training prevents officer-involved shootings and helps achieve long-term solutions by providing people with services instead of a jail cell. The training also has improved relationships between the mental health community and police.
"Police learn empathy and understanding of mental illness," ValueOptions training manager Joe Prawdzik said Wednesday. "It gives them other alternatives to incarceration and decriminalizes mentally ill."
The training begins with officers learning the signs and symptoms of a person in crisis, including recognizing one suffering from a psychiatric disorder.
They also are taught about the disorders and hear from the mentally ill and their families.
"They tell them what it was like and the issues they are dealing with," Gussie said.
Officers learn about numerous Valley agencies that offer services for the mentally ill, homeless, or people in crisis, and leave with an understanding of how to get services, who to contact and how they work.
Gussie said the training gives officers the information they need to ask the right questions to assess a situation and a person's needs.
But above all, officers also are taught to put their own safety first and adhere to department policies.
For information about resources for the mentally ill, contact ValueOptions crisis line at (602) 222-9444 or 1-800-631-1314.