SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper is being commended for his response to a mental health crisis in Phelps County.
A man just released from the hospital stole an ambulance and led law enforcement on a chase. It ended with no injuries and the man back in custody.
The Missouri State trooper’s actions have sparked a conversation about mental health crisis training; in the Phelps County incident, the Missouri Highway Patrol credits a supplemental, specialized training that the trooper received.
“They were in beliefs that the patient had some mental episodes occurring,” said Corporal Ralicia Tyler with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “And based on the CIT training, which that trooper had in the past, and the training we go through yearly, He realized it was more than likely a mental episode, and he was able to talk the driver down.”
CIT, or Crisis Intervention Team, hosts 5-day, 40-hour courses that give insight into mental health crises.
“It has a lot of different training, such as de-escalation techniques or peer support,” said Deputy Samantha Hancock, a CIT Coordinator for the Ozarks Area CIT. “There is a class that is in the training that has people who live with a mental illness, or they’re in recovery. They are very raw and vulnerable with everything that they have gone through. And it really resonates with officers who may not have seen that side of it. It kind of gives them a chance to connect with those individuals.”
The training teaches first responders how to employ a different approach to individuals having a mental health crisis.
“You have to try to be as calm as possible because if you get worked up, they’re going to get worked up,” said Corporal Tyler.
“Have a softer tone or use softer words if that makes kind of sense because not everybody is going to react or do what you want them to do by yelling at them or telling them sternly something,” said Deputy Hancock. “When you have gone through the training, they can actually see that and then recognize it whenever they’re out on the street.”
Once the individual is in custody, they’re then taken to the hospital and put under a 96-hour hold.
“They would be evaluated at the hospital by a physician and to see if they needed an extended stay,” said Deputy Hancock.
Then, CIT-trained officers complete special documentation that’s passed to a behavioral health liaison, speeding up access to care.
“Without that documentation, they would have to wait six months. or sometimes even longer,” said Deputy Hancock. “And so it sometimes bypasses some of that wait list and that time to get them the help when they are actually in the crisis.”
“We want the mental health taken care of first, and then we will deal with the criminal aspect at a later time,” said Corporal Tyler.
The state of Missouri has 36 CIT chapters that span over 80 counties; those courses are open to everyone, not just first responders.
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