Wellesley PD Participates in 'One Mind Campaign'

WELLESLEY, MA – The Wellesley Police Department recently announced its participation in the "One Mind Campaign," which aims to ensure successful interactions between police and citizens with mental illnesses.

The initiative is the brainchild of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), of which outgoing Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham serves as president. Participating departments have agreed to implement the following four "promising practices" over the next three years:

The four promising practices that the Wellesley Police Department will be implementing are the following:

- Establish a clearly defined and sustainable partnership with one or more community mental health organizations. According to the Wellesley Police Department, it has a longstanding relationship with Riverside Community Care.

- Develop and implement a model policy addressing police response to persons affected by mental illness. Wellesley police implemented this policy during their certification and accreditation process.

- Train and certify all Wellesley Police Department officers in mental health first aid. The Wellesley Police Department plans to begin training in spring of 2017 and is seeking to host a class for surrounding communities, as well.

- Provide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to a minimum of 20 percent of sworn officers. The department has five officers trained and certified and will be sending at least three more to training in the spring. It says it is more than 75 percent complete in this goal.

Wellesley police have pledged to meet all of the above benchmarks by the end of 2017.

Image via Wellesley Police Department