Cape increases number of officers trained to respond to mental-illness situations

Cape Girardeau Police said it has between three and six crisis-intervention-trained officers on each shift, and that increase in training coincided with a decrease in mental-health calls.

Crisis intervention team training is a program that teaches de-escalation techniques to officers responding to a crisis situation, such as a person threatening to commit suicide or a person acting abnormally violent because of a mental-health condition.

When it began tracking such calls, the department had 27 mental-health calls in May, or about six a week.

The department now averages four calls a week, which is up slightly from September when the number was down to two or three reports per week, public information officer Adam Glueck wrote in an email.

"I think this is partly because more officers are now trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and are now better equipped to deal with those situations," Glueck wrote.

Officers began conducting follow-up visits in July with people who formerly were in crisis situations.

Those visits included reminders to residents to continue taking medication and continue with other treatments that could prevent another crisis situation, according to a previous interview with community counseling liaison Warren Skinner.

"Putting these officers in place and continued collaboration with Community Counseling has paid dividends and helped us get people directed to services they need much more efficiently," police chief Wes Blair wrote in an email. "I'm very pleased in the progress we have made so far and look forward to building on the successes we've already experienced."

Officers trained in the crisis intervention team program include both canine handlers and several officer personnel who are available if needed, Glueck wrote.

The department intends to send more officers through crisis intervention team training, Glueck wrote.

"The program continues to be a success," Glueck wrote. "We are getting help to more people and taking advantage of available resources in the community. We have also built better relationships between the police department and agencies that offer services for mental health. It helps all of us work toward the same goals of making the community safe and providing help to those that need it."

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 40 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO