Training sessions set to help officers deal with crises

In 1988, a police officer in Memphis, Tenn., shot and killed a man with serious mental illness.

The shooting was ruled as justified, but officials in the city's police department were not satisfied with the tragic outcome.

"They wanted another option to try to work through it," said Rick Miller, the chief deputy at the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office. "They came up with the Crisis Intervention Team."

Developed over many years and disseminated nationwide, the so-called "Memphis Model" they created will come to the region March 25, when a weeklong training session will teach law enforcement officials the best ways to deal with mentally ill subjects.

The training is facilitated by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which is trying to promote crisis training throughout the state.

"There's a lot of data that shows it's effective, and how law enforcement really learns so much about how to handle people with mental health issues differently," said Vicki Malone, field program manager for behavioral health at the department's Lewiston office.

Mental health awareness and treatment has been in the spotlight because of the string of mass shootings that have hit the nation over the past couple of years. And in an environment where mental health care can be lacking, it has frequently fallen to law enforcement to deal with mentally ill subjects who commit crimes, Malone said.

So getting Crisis Intervention Team training for local cops has become an important step toward creating safer and more productive interactions that avoid just locking up an offender, Miller said.

"It teaches law enforcement officers what is going on in these people's minds with different mental illness issues," he said. "If a person commits a crime, they still commit a crime. But initially, you can get them the treatment they need, and get them taken care of and going down the right road before you deal with a jail situation."

Every law enforcement official interacts with mentally ill people on a regular basis, Miller said. For example, his office got a call about a year ago reporting a naked man on someone's back porch. But Miller was able to use his training to avert what could have devolved into a violent confrontation.

"We were able to find out that he had post-traumatic stress disorder from Iraq," he said, noting that the use of force would have been the primary option before the advent of Crisis Intervention Teams. "You end up in a knock-down, drag-out fight. People get hurt, they get handcuffed and get thrown in jail. But we were able to work with him and get him where he needed to go."

Miller said the training never takes the place of officers' duty to protect themselves and others, but simply provides the tools that can help defuse explosive situations.

The training starts with a day at State Hospital North in Orofino, where participants will learn about mental illness from a staff psychologist. There will also be a class on medications and their effects from another staff expert.

The remaining classes will be held in Lewiston at the Valley Christian Center. The last day will feature simulations of real-life scenarios, complete with actors playing the parts of mentally ill people in crisis situations.

Malone said the training sessions will become an annual event so that emergency agencies can eventually send most of their personnel. So far, those who will attend include officers from city police departments and county sheriff's offices, first responders, probation officers and correctional officers.

The deadline to sign up has passed, she said, but space is still available and late registrations will be accepted through Friday. Those who are interested may call Adult Mental Health at the Department of Health and Welfare in Lewiston at (208) 799-4440.

---

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.