Mental health crisis training for law enforcement
With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, 21 News is taking a look at some of the training officers go through to be able to recognize a crisis and how to get someone the help they need.
Crisis Intervention Training or CIT has been around for decades. It’s a 40-hour course offered in every county teaching officers the importance of communication, a calming presence and de-escalation.
“If they get louder you maybe get quieter until you can bring them back down,” Lieutenant Jerry Fulmer, the Law Enforcement Coordinator for Mahoning County’s CIT said.
“We’re not always there to arrest people. A good portion of our job is helping people and helping the community,” Detective Sergeant Glenn Patton with the Boardman Police Department said. “Situations can be avoided just by communicating and trying to make sure that both sides understand what is being conveyed.”
It’s not just officers responding to calls that are trained. Deputies in the Mahoning County Jail also use the same approaches.
“In our jail it’s a daily thing,” Commander Kevin Myers of the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said about mental health crises. “One of the biggest tools we have in here is communication…be patient, show compassion.”
Signs of a crisis while behind bars can be when someone stops eating or bathing. Deputies know to monitor those inmates and get them professional help.
“We watch people in here if they don’t get help they just deteriorate and continue deteriorating and that’s not acceptable,” Myers said.
“Being mentally ill is not a crime but oftentimes causes somebody to commit minor offenses and the proper place for individuals a lot of times is treatment not incarceration,” Fulmer said.
The awareness gets the person the help they need and makes things safer for the officer.
“We all know that mental illness is such a big factor when it comes to dealing with people,” Sheriff Jerry Greene of Mahoning County said. “The CIT training trains our officers how to deal with that…through using that experience and training (they are) able to deescalate situations that could potentially turn violent.”