Somerville, Cambridge police receive DMH training

On December 7, 2014, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times
Some 28 police officers from Somerville and surrounding communities partook in a special mental health crisis training program.

Some 28 police officers from Somerville and surrounding communities partook in a special mental health crisis training program.

By Tom Bannister

More than two dozen police officers from Somerville, Belmont, Everett, Malden, and Cambridge, and received specialized mental health training last week through the Cambridge-Somerville Regional Crisis Intervention Team Training and Technical Assistance Center, created through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH). The program trains officers in the region in the latest techniques for safely and effectively responding to individuals and families experiencing a mental health crisis.

DMH and its partner, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts (NAMI Mass), worked with the Cambridge and Somerville Police Departments to establish the curriculum for 40-hours of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and coordinate partnerships between law enforcement and community human services providers, with the goal of improving community response to people with mental illness.

“This important program increases training and support for our partners in the law enforcement community,” said DMH Commissioner Marcia Fowler. “Police are often first on the scene when an individual may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Our goal is to increase awareness of mental illness, help link individuals in need of treatment to resources and maximize public safety.”

“We laud the Department of Mental Health and our partners – the Somerville and Cambridge Police Departments – for their leadership and for serving as a model for communities across the Commonwealth,” said June Binney, director of the NAMI Mass Criminal Justice Program.

“A lot of calls we respond to involve people who are in mental health crisis,” said Somerville Police Chief David Fallon. “Having the skills to de-escalate is invaluable. But also, now we can reach out to other community organizations and connect people with the support and help they need.”

The model for CIT training was developed in Memphis, TN in 1988 and is now recognized as an international model for training police officers on how to best respond to people with mental illness. Improved police training helps protect the safety of the public as well as law enforcement personnel and first responders. It also provides the tools necessary to de-escalate a potential crisis and oftentimes avoid the arrest and incarceration of a person who is better served with community mental health services.

 

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