officers are spread out on all shifts and available for immediate dispatch to possible mental health crises . The program also contemplates special training for call takers and dispatchers to identify such calls and to obtain further information from the caller to forward to dispatched officers to assist in helping the person and controlling the situation .
Other programs evolved from the Memphis CIT model to improve the response to mentally ill persons . There are numerous training and research studies and programs which inform law enforcement agencies on responses to people with mental illnesses . Three such representative publications are “ Crisis Intervention Team Core Element ,” published by the University of Memphis School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy in 2007 ; “ Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses : A Guide to Research – Informed Policy and Practice ,” published by the Council of State Governments , Justice Center in 2009 ; and “ Police Response to People with Mental Illness , Intellectual Disabilities and Substance Use Disorders ,” by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training in 2016 .
In 2010 , the International Association of Chiefs of Police began to work on goals for addressing issues with the mentally ill , and in 2015 issued a report entitled “ Improving Officer Response to Persons With Mental Illness and Other Disabilities .” A major part of this effort resulted in the “ One Mind ” campaign . The stated purpose of the campaign is to ensure successful interactions between police officers and people with mental health disorders and / or developmental disabilities in crisis situations . It promotes a training and development program which requires the implementation of four basic strategies : to establish a defined and sustainable partnership with community mental health organizations ; the implementation of a model policy addressing police response to persons affected by mental illness ; training and certification of 100 % of the agency ’ s sworn officers and selected non-sworn staff in mental health first aid ; and provision of crisis intervention team training to a minimum of 20 % of the agency ’ s sworn officers and staff such as dispatchers .
The initiative focuses on uniting local communities , public safety organizations , and mental health organizations so that the three become of “ One
Mind .” To join the campaign , law enforcement agencies must pledge to implement the four practices over a 12- to 36-month time frame . The IACP website indicates that there are over 550 agencies working on or having completed implementation of the One Mind program , some 45 of which are in Georgia .
In addition to the CIT models and the training of law enforcement officers in mental illness responses , there are alternative emergency response models being tried . Some police departments have employed or partnered with mental health professionals to work as co-responders , assisting the police in responding to incidents involving a person with a mental illness . Other cities rely on mental illness response models that do not involve police . In Eugene , Oregon , two person teams consisting of a medic and a crisis worker respond to 911 calls involving a mental health crisis prior to any police response . The program was successful in responding to 17 % of the department ’ s overall call volume in 2017 without police officer involvement .
Additional focused CIT training has been successful in jurisdictions that have such programs .
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