Forum addresses police training in New York

Families who have called New York City police for help during a psychiatric crisis say the 14 hours worth of training is not enough training to handle the complex emergency. Last week's release of a report from New York State with recommendations for treatment and diversion programs was heralded by advocates. Since 1988, when the police in Memphis, Tenn., designed what is now considered a model program in crisis intervention, cities nationwide have implemented similar programs. Often they work with family advocates, mental health professionals, and people with a mental illness who have been through the system. Too often cities do not respond until after a crisis, usually the death of a mentally ill suspect.

While crisis intervention teams share similar goals, unique programs have emerged to address issues specific to local communities and to train personnel. In Oklahoma City, according to information posted on the CIT webpage, conducts annual trainings to maintain a staff of at least 100 at any time. In Los Angeles, 20 percent of the force is trained. Houston boasts that it is the largest force in the nation with "829 CIT officers in patrol and 260 CIT trained officers in non-patrol assignments." Starting in 2007, all cadets received 40 hours of training, up from the previous 16, and about one-quarter of the force will be trained. New York State recently issued a report

In New York City, Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD) brought together relatives and experts in the prisons and courts on June 4 to discuss diverting people with a mental illness into treatment rather than jail. On the panel at the RIPPD conference were:

Panelist Maria Angelina Ortiz addresses an audience at the open forum to discus pre-booking jail diversion programs in New York City, sponsored by RIPPD, June 4, 2008.

Ortiz, a parent, discusses a first-time experience calling 911 when her son had a psychiatric emergency needing hospitalization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sOWqYe3ouY

Award winning journalist Mary Beth Pfeiffer described writing stories about the intersection of people with mental illness with the police for the Poughkeepsie Journal. She recounted one of them, about young person whose life changed four days after her 16th birthday when the law required the police treat her as an adult rather than a child despite the illness all knew she had. Her story is repeated in her book, Crazy in America: The Hidden Tragedy of our Criminalized Mentally Ill."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=471VA1xP-os

The death of her brother David following a call to police propelled Jean Griffin to become an advocate for training police in techniques for helping, and subduing when necessary, people with a psychiatric illness. She discussed her responses to learning from an autopsy report showing 18 taser burns with nine broken facial bones. The police who responded to the 911-call were neighbors, friends, and classmates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4XN6Q5xb60

Marquez Claxton, a retired detective from the New York City Police Department, describes the need to train officers to work with people who have a mental illness. Currently, Claxton says, they are brushed with the label, "EDPs," which stands for "emotionally disturbed persons" They are trained to believe these will be the most dangerous calls they will have, anticipating they will be hurt or killed. Claxton is a member of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6lRxEpZ4fI

Don Kamin, Ph.D., spoke at the New York City forum, Implementing Pre-Booking Jail Diversion Programs (sponsored by RIPPD), drawing on 20 years of experience including research indicating less violence, fewer arrests, reduced stigma, and partnerships in communities as a result of police diversion programs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exlpiBfrVkE

Panelist Terence McCormick, MSW, founder of CARES, addressed an open forum about pre-booking police diversion in New York City sponsored by RIPPD on June 4, 2008. McCormick now provides technical assistance for training officials in diversion strategies. He formerly directed founded Community Forensic Services for the New York State Office of Mental Health.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-zl9Sn5jME


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Carlos Sabater
RIPPD Member