Training Police To Handle Mental Illness Cases

[CrazyinVA]

I heard this story on NPR this morning, and wanted to share it here. It's an extremely important topic, in my opinion, and such training should be requried in ALL localities. It's my hope that each and every one of us was represented by someone from our locality, at the conference mentioned. Hey, I can dream can't I? ;-)


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104350808

 

[AnnieO]

This is a wonderful idea.

The one caveat is that some people can act mentally ill when they are not. AND, it's not always obvious that it's a mental illness. For almost 2 years we just thought difficult child 1 was a brat and her mother was training her. Then we found out reality. Haven't had to call the police since.

 

[klmno]

NAMI told me they were training police around here and I could tell a difference in the way cops handled things several months later when I had to call them on difficult child. I don't know that it does a lot, but it did make some difference. They came with tasers instead of "real" guns, but they still ordered difficult child to the floor on his stomach immediately. This was after I told all of them at the door that he had locked himself in his room with a knife and threatening to kill himself and had been cutting himself. He was on probation- they could have sent him straight to detention but didn't. I guess any training helps and they still have to protect themselves.