Law enforcement officers from Bucks County police departments have been attending a specialized advanced training course on mental illnesses offered by the Montgomery County Emergency Services (MCES) in Norristown, PA. Over the past year alone, nearly 70 representatives of various police departments in Bucks County have completed the 3-day basic course to qualify as a Crisis Intervention Specialist (CIS). Through this training, officers acquire skills that assist them in encounters with individuals with mental illness who are in crisis. In addition, some 25 representatives of the Bucks County Correctional Institution have attended the CIS training. The training has been offered free of charge to Bucks departments through a funding grant to MCES.

Recent Attendees from Bucks Police Depts. pictured with MCES Training Specialist, Michelle Monzo (r.)

The training aims to divert those with mental illness from the criminal justice system and assist them in finding suitable treatment instead of serving time in jail for non-violent offenses. Jail diversion efforts reduce arrests and jail time for people who would better benefit from medical or psychiatric treatment. The training focuses mainly on recognizing symptoms of mental illness, Basic Psych 101, Verbal Crisis Intervention/ Role plays, Suicide, Substance Abuse, Mental Health Procedures Act, Medications, and NAMI "In Our Own Voice" presentations by individuals with mental illness. The course features a half-day spent on Norristown’s Inpatient Unit in which officers meet patients in treatment in an effort to foster greater under- standing of the issues. This has proved beneficial and eye-opening to both groups.

In addition to the basic 3-day training, those interested can attend advanced level classes to expand on the basic knowledge. This training has proven to be invaluable in intercepting possible arrests where officers can employ verbal skills to de-escalate a crisis and avoid arresting and incarcerating people. In roughly 25% of crisis situations where trained officers are involved, a situation can be resolved successfully at the point of origin, avoiding either arrest or the necessity to take someone to treatment when possible.

Officers attending such training often find the listening skills valuable in many aspects of their job functions and state that it has improved their overall approach to critical situations in general. Possessing a new understanding of mental illness, officers often find themselves becoming advocates for those who suffer from brain disorders.