Mental Health Outreach
When a young man with harmful intentions is persuaded to seek help, a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management team’s prompt intervention illustrates their essential function
How an ancient tool inspired today’s non-lethal, non-contact restraint BolaWrap
Prioritize first responder safety and wellness with grants to support initiatives for mental health, resilience and physical fitness
The Raleigh Police Department shares how LE agencies can team with social workers to benefit both cops and communities
Former Officer Austin Hopp is facing a second-degree assault charge
Bryan Riley, a veteran Marine turned private security guard, had no criminal history when he brutally attacked a family on Sunday
Dispatchers now have the option to connect the call to a mental health counselor
The five-day program taught responders about de-escalating situations and getting people help for mental health issues
Officers should maintain awareness that any uninvited entry into a person’s home or onto their property – however they define it – could be seen as a mortal threat
Many cities are piloting programs that take police officers out of certain duties such as mental health response
Spokane Police leaders have embraced the change as a way to free up officers’ time to respond to other emergencies
Law enforcement agencies can stream “Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops” to better prepare cops to respond to people in crisis
People in mental crisis present challenges — to law enforcement as well as hospitals — and too often fall between the cracks
Of the nearly 50,000 annual crisis-related calls for service, the San Francisco Police Department used force only 51 times
The social worker identified his attacker as a dangerous man who had tried to kill a Holyoke police officer years before
Mayor Libby Schaaf criticized the council’s action, saying it effectively “cuts “50 police officers who respond to Oaklanders’ 911 calls”
A look at some of the reforms police agencies and cities have implemented
Whenever officers respond to calls, they must constantly assess the mission they are tasked with – and that mission can change at any time
The department’s strategic plan, which was launched in 2019, aims to reduce social harms, including mental health issues, substance abuse and fear of crime
A recent survey of 1,000 adults shows fewer than one in 10 recommend mental health professionals respond alone with no public safety personnel
The program will begin by focusing on people with suicidal ideations and without weapons before scaling up, officials said
A mental health professional acting as an on-scene consultant to police officers can reduce the likelihood of the situation escalating to violence
A pilot program provides the right tools and the right people to help navigate the complex challenges that arise with the homeless population
Officers who use simulation training programs are more confident, use less force
Reality-based scenarios can help improve communication techniques to reduce use of force in calls involving people in emotional distress
The cop-crafted scenarios and varied outcomes offered by VirTra help officers practice making decisions in real time to develop more effective de-escalation tactics
The efforts of two Texas police officers have helped change the way police respond to mental health calls
The film follows two Texas police officers in their quest to improve outcomes for mental crisis calls
COPS Office report summarizes creative ways LE agencies are deploying community policing principles
Research indicates that rural locations have higher rates of mental illness, opiate addiction and suicide than urban areas
The specially trained teams, which consist of both cops and mental health clinicians, are asking for more officers
“What we heard from the community is there’s an opportunity to actually bring some relief to the officers and what they have to do in the community.”
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