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Moving past what to how—the next step in responding to individuals with mental illness - Police Practice

Posted by | July 30, 2007 .

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Tulsa, Oklahoma, like most other communities across the country, has long experienced the difficulties of the increasing pressure on individuals with mental illness and their families as a result of state funding problems and constant changes in mental health care delivery systems. Most of the responsibility for providing services to those seriously ill or less able to pay for services has shifted from one agency to another, sometimes more than once. Because of this challenge, the Tulsa Police Department’s (TPD) apprentice police officer (APO) academy training has included a component similar to the “Memphis Model (1) since 1988. Integrating front-line mental health professionals into the broad, multidisciplinary training given to APOs for almost 15 years has helped TPD field officers become proficient in the task of responding effectively to individuals with mental illness.

To answer a growing need, the TPD resolved to go beyond refresher classes for incumbent officers and, instead, committed to developing an advanced mental health response officer school. The school was designed to help police and mental health professionals work in a collaborative partnership as both instructors and students. (2)

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THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE

The guiding principle for the school’s development, the “operational triangle,” represents a model the TPD has used for many years to instruct APOs. The foundation of the operational triangle is safety. Ensuring safety is the first step in all interactions between officers and citizens. Only after this is established and maintained should an officer focus on using communication skills to form an effective relationship with a subject. Officers first must have a safe environment before they can apply interpersonal skills directed toward possible problem solving.

Once officers establish a state of safety, they are tempted to move directly to problem solving. Yielding to this temptation means skipping the middle section of the triangle and, often, results in ineffectiveness. Increasing officers’ confidence in their abilities to effectively use interpersonal communication skills improves the likelihood that they will incorporate each section of the operational triangle.

Over the last 20 years, the law enforcement profession has made huge strides in raising officers’ awareness and competence in the areas of citizen and officer safety. Agencies should devote attention to increasing officers’ awareness of the essential step between safety and problem solving. These human relation skills, like officer safety skills, improve with practice. Enhanced interpersonal skills will amplify the ability of officers to project a powerful influence with citizens they serve, especially those with mental health issues.

THE INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE

The school’s mission is to assist people in need of mental health services in a way that secures the safety of all concerned, respects the dignity of the person in need of attention, and increases the chances of a good outcome with mental health service providers following the law enforcement contact. This statement defines the instructional objective of maximizing the time spent conducting collaborative cross training between law enforcement officers and mental health professionals most likely to have direct contact with individuals in need of mental health services. Minimal time expended on reviewing mental health knowledge (e.g. facts, diagnostic categories, mental disorder descriptions) in lecture-type presentations allows instructors to spend more time on practical applications of interpersonal communication and intervention skills.

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CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Various departments of the TPD and the mental health community designed the school’s 40-hour curriculum in the spring of 2002 over a 6-month period. Classes are limited to 20 police officers and 5 mental health professionals. Attendees are divided into smaller groups composed of four officers and one mental health professional with a TPD special operations team crisis negotiator acting as facilitator/instructor because of this person’s experience and expertise.

Upon completion of the school, sworn law enforcement graduates earn department certification as advanced mental health response (AMHR) officers. Further, mental health professional graduates are certified AMHR responders and can receive continuing education credits as well.

CURRICULUM

Day 1

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