Braintree Police Earn Mental Health Certification

BRAINTREE, MA — The Braintree Police Department has completed a pledge through the "One Mind Campaign" to improve its response to those suffering from mental health issues.

In 2017, the Braintree Police Department pledged to join the campaign, an initiative that was started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police,to improve the interactions between law enforcement agencies and those with mental illnesses. Departments that pledge to join the campaign are challenged to implement practices within their agency to improve mental health programming, training and procedures within a one to three-year time period.

The association also provides resources to departments that pledge to join the One Mind Campaign, including a toolkit produced by the Bureau of Justice Assistance with resources for law enforcement agencies looking to partner with mental health providers, a model policy for law enforcement when responding to persons suffering from mental illness and resources for planning mental health first aid and crisis intervention team program trainings.

"The Braintree Police Department recognizes that there are so many families and individuals living with behavioral health issues within our community," Chief Mark Dubois said. "At the time of the department's pledge, there was a need for more training which would help to prepare our officers to react appropriately in a variety of situations. Through their training, the department has consistently demonstrated their commitment to providing the highest quality of police services to the public. I'm extremely proud of our officers for their dedication to serving their community and for their commitment to their pledge."

Former Chief Paul Shastany made the decision to join the "One Mind Campaign" to ensure that the department would be better equipped for situations involving mental illness. Dubois continued the initiative and made sure the requirements to attain the designation were met.

These iniatives included building relationships with the Aspire Health Alliance, Norfolk District Court, Braintree Public Schools, Braintree's Council on Aging and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Massachusetts. The department also created and implemented a model policy to address officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness and mental health awareness and crisis intervention training for all full-time staff.