Crisis Intervention Team to help with mentally ill

By Amy Flowers Umble, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.

Mar. 29--Officers head out to crime scenes armed with handcuffs, guns, ammo and body armor.

Soon, area law enforcement will carry new insight on mental illnesses and a list of suicide signs.

Sheriffs, psychologists, jail staff and mental health advocates hope this training will lead to better outcomes when police confront people in crisis. Similar efforts elsewhere have led to fewer injuries to officers and to treatment instead of jail for those with mental illnesses.

This summer, about 30 officers from the city of Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and the University of Mary Washington will attend 40 hours of training on mental health issues.

The classes are part of a growing national effort to improve the interaction between police and those with mental illnesses. A state grant provided $90,000 this year for the local training and to set up a Crisis Intervention Team.

Grants this year and next work in two ways: keeping the mentally ill out of jail in the first place and, when they do end up behind bars, getting patients the treatment they need to get out of jail as soon as possible.

"Oftentimes, officers react to something they just don't know," said Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett. "So they take the person and the problem out of the community, and put them in the jail setting. And that, we all agree, is not the best place for them."

The new CIT will include about six trained officers from each law enforcement department. These officers will respond to any crimes that involve someone exhibiting signs of emotional instability.

"The CIT program is to avoid unfortunate situations, so these situations can be handled in the best way possible," said Brian Jackson, who organizes an annual lunch for law enforcement officers and mental health advocates. "Police officers are there to help, and with CIT, it will give them the tools necessary, give them every resource."

Jackson first encountered police in the early 1990s when he was arrested, accused of destruction of property. At the time, Jackson struggled to control his schizo-affective disorder. The officers recognized his illness and offered Jackson a ride to Mary Washington Hospital, for initial evaluation, rather than jail time.

That, mental health experts say, is the best outcome. Jackson said he was able to get the treatment he needed and came away with respect for police.

But too often, the outcome is different. So-called suicides by cop, hostage situations and barricades receive the most attention.

More commonly, police encounter people with mental illnesses in minor offenses. Officers have two options: jail or a treatment facility.

Taking the offender to jail is quicker and more efficient, often getting a cop back on patrol in less than an hour. The hospital route can keep an officer off the streets for up to six hours.

"We're not a mental health institution," said Ann Harris, director of community corrections for the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford. "A lot of times, staying in jail can exacerbate their situation."

Mental health providers offer services -- medicine, counseling, group therapy -- at the jail. But often, the environment and legal entanglements interrupt the healing process, said Scott Ronis, mental health supervisor at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

So the CIT aims to keep those who commit minor offenses out of jail.

"But if they come into the jail, we would like to get them out as soon as possible," Ronis said.

The second part of the grant addresses that issue, working to treat patients in the jail instead of sending them to Western State Hospital in Staunton.

Keeping mentally ill people out of jail when possible and getting them the right treatment inside of jail benefits the community, Harris said.

Studies show such efforts save money and reduce officer injuries and deaths. The practice keeps other residents safe, too, Harris said.

"The officers will be able to quickly get back to patrol and get the person with the mental illnesses to the appropriate services," Harris said.

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