Scott County Law Enforcement Officers to Receive Mental Health Crisis Training

A person experiencing a mental health crisis presents some of the most intricate, dangerous, and unstable conditions that a police officer may encounter. To help train Scott County law enforcement officers to better deal with people with mental illness, at the request of the Chiefs of Police Association within Scott County (CPASC), the will fund specialized training for approximately 200 public safety officers within Scott County, according to a SMSC news release.

These officers will be able to attend the eight-hour training which the SMSC will fund with a $17,000 grant. 

Law enforcement officers representing the cities of Shakopee, Belle Plaine, New Prague, Jordan, Prior Lake/Elko/New Market, and also the Scott County Sheriff’s office, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the local Department of Natural Resources will be able to attend the training.

The Crisis Intervention Team, sponsored by the Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team Officers Association (MNCIT) will lead the professional, specialized training. Their training is based on the nationally recognized Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, which promotes the use of verbal de-escalation skills before using force when confronting a mental health crisis. CIT training has been proven to dramatically decrease the risk of injuries or death to both officers and consumers of mental health services, while also reducing the number of repeat calls, the MNCIT website states. 

SMSC’s Director of Mental and Chemical Health Programs Dr. Antony Stately sits on the Scott County Local Mental Health Advisory Council with City of Savage Chief of Police Rodney Seurer, representing the Scott County Chiefs Association. 

“We have recently recognized that our officers are responding to increased calls for services dealing with people with mental illness," said Seurer. "When needed, our officers are on the front line in dealing with people with mental illness and their families. We are important allies with health care professionals and play an important role not only in fulfilling legal obligations but also in diffusing difficult situations and providing calm, support, and reassurance.”

Law enforcement officers from more than 39 city police departments and numerous counties in Minnesota have already received the training but this will be the first time the training will be offered in Scott County on such a large scale. 

Crisis Intervention Training specifically includes a basic overview of schizophrenia and disorders including psychotic, mood, cognitive, personality, and substance abuse disorders. The introduction will look at the causes and nature of the illnesses, typical patterns of behavior, common medications, and guidelines for officer response. There will also be a panel of consumers of mental health services sharing their experience. 

Five different training sessions will be offered so that all officers will be able to attend the training, which the CPASC is making mandatory. The first two training sessions will be held from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the SCALE Regional Training Facility in Jordan, MN. The last three training sessions will be held from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Playworks LINK Event Center in Prior Lake. The set of five training sessions runs from Tuesday, April 24, 2012, through Wednesday, November 14, 2012.