Guilford Director’s Film Part Of Panel On Crisis Training Bill

GUILFORD, CT — Mental health workers aren't cops. And cops aren't mental health workers. But there's a place in the middle. Police can receive mental health training, and the two groups can work together to keep people safe.

It's the basis for the Emmy award-winning documentary, "Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops," produced and directed by Guilford filmmaker Jenifer McShane.

Watch the trailer here.

Tuesday, in support of her state Senate bill that calls for a study of how Connecticut police officers are trained in mental health and crisis intervention tactics, Sen. Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) will host a screening of a shortened version of McShane's HBO documentary that followed two police officers from the San Antonio, Texas Police Department's mental health unit for three years.

Both McShane and Cohen recently commented in a Patch story about Guilford teen Ellis Tibere,imprisoned for an attack on a woman his family says was a result of serious onset mental illness, on the importance of law enforcement crisis intervention that combine trained officers and social and mental health workers to respond to police calls for a person who struggles with mental illness in crisis.

Tuesday at 10 a.m., via Zoom, the film screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion with nine panelists on how crisis intervention models work and the "challenges police officers are faced with when it comes to mental health-related calls and crisis intervention strategies," a news release reads.

According to Cohen's office, panelists will discuss the "rise in mental health-related incidents, the need for more expansive crisis intervention training, the benefits of collaboration between law enforcement and mental health clinicians, and how we move forward to create an environment in which those with mental illness receive the help they need."

On the panel are Cohen, McShane, Joe Smarro, former San Antonio police officer and documentary subject; Gilbert Gonzalez, Director of the Bexar County Behavior Health Department, also featured in the documentary; Louise Pyers, Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement; Tirzah Kemp of Clifford Beers; Tony Corniello of BH Care; Deputy Chief, John Alves, Branford PD; Officer Jeremy Brewer, Hamden PD; and Officer Teresa Velez, Hartford PD.

Patch will attend. Check back for updates.

Read more about Cohen's bill here and here.

Watch the "Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops" trailer here and read about the McShane documentary here.

>>Read more from Patch about Ellis Tibere here and his mother Denise Paley, who testified on behalf of the Cohen bill here.