The Efficacy of Police Training When Dealing with Mentally Ill People - Essay Example

The Efficacy of Police Training when Dealing with Mentally Ill People Introduction The law enforcement betrothed in today's society persistently provide citizens with services that go beyond imposing laws, maintaining public safety, peace and order. Police must be first-line, acting around-the-clock to respond to emergencies. They serve as mediators, referral agents, counselors, youth mentors, crime prevention actors, and much typically performing beyond their jobs. Among their growing responsibilities involve responding to people with mental illnesses but some police officers do not consider protecting or providing safety for these people included in their mandate for this has known to be the responsibility of the mental health system. A number of factors have led to the increasing interaction between police and persons with mental illness. One is that sufficient funding which is needed to grow proportionally to the increased need of these individuals is not being withheld by community support systems. Furthermore, existing crisis response services are limited in scope and are often not well-integrated. Reductions in hospital beds and services result in hospital admission only for those in acute situation, and even then, only for very short periods of time. Moreover in some situations, several police respond to a person in mental health crisis as they are trained to respond to a usual criminal emergency situation, and with a show of force and authority they may in fact escalate the trouble to a point of risking injury or death unfortunately, most often to a person having mental health problem. ("Study in Blue and Grey: Police Interventions with People with Mental Illness," 2003) Thus, this shift from institutionalized care to community-based care and the general lack of understanding and awareness to these issues have resulted in more persons with mental dysfunction in the community to come in contact with the police. Due to the lack of comprehensive, ongoing training of police officers in the recognition of mental illness and in mental health crisis intervention as well as the absence of contact and aid from mental health and emergency services, this study is made. This essay will provide step by step solutions to make the police officers properly responsive when dealing with people with mental incapacity. New Models for Police Response Several communities have realized that the usual orders must change, and that new models should be developed that would go well with the identified needs and assets in a certain community. Some of these would be based in the mental health system, some in the police system, some are a true collaboration, and some are based in the community itself. Following are examples of models which have met success in specific communities: Police/Mental Health Team This model encompasses a specialized mental health crisis intervention team, in which plain-clothed police and mental health professionals take action in unmarked police cars. These men defuses the situation, and ensures that the person with mental illness is dealt with properly with either the provision of an appropriate medical/psychiatric care, civil certification and hospitalization or appropriate arrest and detention with psychiatric evaluation. The team is sustained by psychiatric nurses on a mental health crisis line. These nurses are called by vets when team response or on-call support to regular officers is in need. Assistance from psychiatrists are as well necessary when providing on-call advice and attending on-the-spot certifications when necessary. Example: Vancouver's Car 87.(Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA], 2005) Reception Centre With this model, the person which is recognized to have signs of mental illness is transported to a reception centre where specially trained police or mental health professionals conduct a more thorough assessment of the patient. If necessary, they refer that person to mental health services. Examples: Knoxville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California. ("Study in Blue and Grey: Police Interventions with People with Mental Illness," 2003) Specialized Police Crisis Intervention Team As to this type, a specialized officer performs mental health crisis intervention along with regular police duties and is scheduled to work in each given shift for a particular catchment area. These specially trained men are called to respond to incidents involving mentally ill persons. Unpleasant incidents are either resolved on site or the person known to have this sickness will be transported to a medical centre or referred to other types of mental health services. Example: Memphis, Tennessee (Reuland, 2004) Joint Protocols Providing each with the right service needed is a simple protocol between police and mental health services. The mental health team is immediately given a call if the individual came in contact with the police first and if the person is known or suspected of having a mental illness. If no violence is involved, the mental health team takes primary responsibility for the person. But if violence has taken place, police will send the person to the hospital where emergency physicians are present. Example: Dawson Creek, BC Program Implementation Steps Due to these presented problems, law enforcement agencies went through a series of steps to design and implement a program for these dilemmas to be resolved. These processes are known to take countless months for it to be implemented officially, in some cases it has taken years. The program implementation steps identified are outlined as follows: Examining Available Models The models at hand were frequently examined in a collaborative way either through a committee or working group setting. The committees are comprised of wide range of stakeholders, advocates, mental health service providers, law enforcement personnel, corrections personnel as well as individuals with mental illness. The meetings are conducted aiming to build consensus on what the new program must consider within its mandate for it to gain community member's support and contributions to the new approach. Adapting the Model to the Locality Most agencies opted to adapt the model program based on their jurisdiction's present condition. The kinds of adjustments made by the agencies are as follows: Mental health services adaptation Agencies must consider first and foremost the appropriate local mental health services suited to them and must develop formal relationships with these service providers benefitting the community itself. Some agencies provide additional resources for officers to access. Creative approaches were developed in several communities to find substitute resources and extend existing services in able to meet its objective. (DeCuir and Lamb, 1996) Training Adaptations Law enforcement agencies have familiarized itself with some existing training curricula and materials from other programs to its local policies. Curriculum development involved creating lesson plans, choosing suitable topics and determining its length. Other agencies abridged the total time spent in training due to limited funds and changed time proportion. In addition, they have identified the training audience from a range of discipline which involves advocacy groups, social service providers, government personnel, even persons with mental illness were included in this process. Response protocol adaptations Other law enforcement agencies have settled in response protocols from earlier models. A number of agencies chose to train all officers so they won't have an instance where an officer is waiting for a specially trained one. They themselves can take the appropriate action. (Finn and Sullivan, 1987) Other agencies opted not to use the specialized response. Educating the Community A few law enforcement agencies promote the new program to the affected families of mentally ill patients, through NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). Part of this element was to assure the community that the department had become better equipped to handle calls concerning mental illness and that they should feel free to call an officer if in need. Obtaining Necessary Reviews and Approvals Approval by various state, country and local officials are required to incorporate changes in law enforcement procedures for emergency mental health evaluations. Certain notifications had to be made to the governor, country commission, or in some jurisdictions the city council to inform them of the program. Setting Logistics and Administration Trying to apply the new program in establishing appropriate roles and responsibilities is the next step for its implementation. Law enforcement and mental health agencies developed general orders and policies regarding the response, including establishing dispatcher roles, and patrol and supervisor responsibilities. Standard operating procedures were developed based on a pilot project which implemented the specialized response in a subset of police districts. Making it work Law enforcement agencies must conquer many challenges to program implementation. This has been identified into two categories: personnel challenges and logistical challenges. Personnel challenges include getting "buy-in" from both police and mental health professionals and gaining trust within the partnership, giving designs to training curricula and cross-jurisdictional resource issues that has to be dealt with are two scopes of logistical challenges. (Borum et al. 1998) Recruitment for the position is as well an important facet to make this effective. Officers who apply go through an extensive screening and selection process. Screening includes interviews with the officer, reviews of records of past performance, discussion with the officer's current supervisors and education requirements or requirements of a number of years of experience working patrol. The law enforcement agencies also identified the characteristics they look for when selecting the officers. One, they must have the knowledge. Law enforcement personnel who have enough knowledge about mental illness are an asset to this program. An officer with experience responding to situations involving people with mental ailment will mostly have the good understanding of the issue. Moreover, an officer must possess excellent skills and abilities. Communication skills, including active listening and effective interviewing skills are key qualities an officer must have. Also, having the ability to deliberately display a manner that shows caring and concern rather than one that is totalitarian, being observant to easily identify subtle behaviors are essential skills to reduce increasing crises. Another aspect they consider is having a good personality. Most frequently, agencies look for people who are patient and calm. These characteristics are particularly useful because situations involving people with mental incapacity can be time-consuming and frustrating. Individuals who have high threshold for anger and an extreme level of restraint are better able to avoid responses that are inappropriate to the provocative comments induced by individuals with this kind inability. (Fyfe, 2002) Creativity, flexibility, open-mindedness, and respect for the dignity of people with mental ailments are other important qualities an officer must possess, as well as the importance of kindness and empathy to have the desire lend a hand these individuals with such illness. In order to effectively promote these changes mistakes should be avoided. Several agencies reiterated the grave significance of not forcing officers to become members. Officers who were forced will just lack the desire will not have the skills required to respond effectively to people with mental illness. The most frequently noted mistake is associated with the failure to associate with mental health service providers. Departments urge other jurisdictions to work with mental health service providers when addressing the problem so law enforcement can handle cases more efficiently and provide a better service to the community. (Deane et al. 1999) Furthermore, some mistakes are caused by the agency's lack of commitment to the program. Agencies cannot succeed without a commitment to the community service's goal. Finally, some agencies felt that the worst mistake is to ignore the problem completely or give it up after a program has already started. It cannot settle itself. The frequency of people with mental illness to become involve with the police is not going to go away by itself, it must be addressed. The Implementation Several associations, organizations and agencies have complied with these methods making these new models effectual in various communities. Some of these have worse experiences from the past which they now try to avoid by following the system they have taken to consider. Here are a few of them: Rochester Police Department, N.Y They have formed the Rochester Police Department's Emotionally Disturbed Persons Response Team (EDPRT) and are bringing the abilities and knowledge they have learned through an intensive two-week course onto the streets and into the homes of Rochester. (Bender, 2005) Richland Police, Richland Washington A group of almost 30 Richland police officers spent hours training on how to be of assistance to someone going through a mental health crisis. The workshop was eight hours long wherein officers were taught on how to assess an emergency situation with someone who is mentally ill, including the patient's mood, speech, and appearance. ("Richland Police Trained On How to Deal With A Mental Health Crisis," 2008) Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) This training is a joint effort between law enforcement and the mental health community to help law enforcement officers in putting persons with mental illness into treatment instead of inappropriate confinement. Volunteer patrol officers received 40 hours of training in local mental health system for free provided forth by the local mental health system and other community stakeholders ("Milestone of 3,000 Crisis Officers Trained in Ohio Recognized at Supreme Court," 2008) Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) co-responders MCTs are called out once the scene has been secured by law enforcement, acting merely as secondary responders. Law enforcement officers call these men when there is a person believed to be involved in an incident where there is someone who's believed to be a danger to him, herself or others. Also, in some jurisdictions, if no crime has been committed, MCTs can provide transport to a mental health or other services such as counseling or drug treatment. These personnel are knowledgeable about the situated criteria for involuntary commitment which enables them to bring extensive information to the scene and provide follow-up services. (Council of State Governments, 2002) Discussion Police officers should be more responsible in handling situations concerning public safety and security most especially when it has to do with the metal ill patient's benefit. These organizations have well responded to these cases making a good outcome yet to have. The merge of the law enforcement agencies with the mental health system is indeed a great initial act in promoting the new models to further improve the past programs they have had. It will also be a mere judgment from whether they can efficiently implement the program at hand with the support of other officials in the nation and of the public as well. Law enforcement agencies have initiated several responses from these new models and some of them have been brought into action right now. They also considered some factors to make these presented models effective which include extensive screening for the position, an officer's essential characteristics and the mistakes that must be prevented in order to successively employ these alterations. Finally, various offices in different states have complied with the program having it practiced in specific locations in the country. Though this may sound a bit eccentric, not only the police officers must engage with this program. Even an ordinary man, business person, or a by-stander may at least lend a hand to these people. Inviting them to seminars, forums and other forms of discussion to which they can participate and give views about will be a great help to easily attain these objectives in sight. Briefing them will give them knowledge and awareness with the behavior of such people. Plus, a bit adjustment won't hurt perhaps it may become a start of a long term development within the nation. References: Borum, R., Deane, M.W., Staedman H.J., & Morrissey J., (1998). Police perspectives on responding to mentally ill people in crisis: Perceptions of program effectiveness. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 16, 393-405. Canadian Mental Health Association (2005). Police and mental illness: Models at work. Study in Blue and Grey: Police Interventions with People with Mental Illness. Council of State Governments. (2002). Crimina justice/mental health consensus project report. New York: NY: Author. Deane, M.W., Steadman, H.J., Borum, R., Veyse B., & Morrissey J., (1999). 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