Law Enforcement
A Different Kind of Force—Policing Mental Illness | NBC Left Field
Law enforcement officers are increasingly the first responders to incidents involving people with mental illness. Without proper training and expertise, confrontations taking place amid an already-charged atmosphere can escalate quickly, often leading to the injury or death of the individual with mental illness. This concern and numerous high-profile police shootings involving unarmed individuals in a mental health crisis have prompted renewed debates about policing the mentally ill. In the San Antonio Police Department, a special plainclothes unit is trained specifically to handle mental health calls. For several weeks, we followed the 10-person unit to see firsthand how the program operates. A Different Kind of Force—Policing Mental Illness offers an unflinching look at the crisis in the U.S. mental health system today by exploring the complex and often fraught relationship between the mentally ill and law enforcement.
Link to documentary: youtu.be/DnOLvKEYIQI
Law enforcement officers are increasingly the first responders to incidents involving people with mental illness. Without proper training and expertise, confrontations taking place amid an already-charged atmosphere can escalate quickly, often leading to the injury or death of the individual with mental illness. This concern and numerous high-profile police shootings involving unarmed individuals in a mental health crisis have prompted renewed debates about policing the mentally ill. In the San Antonio Police Department, a special plainclothes unit is trained specifically to handle mental health calls. For several weeks, we followed the 10-person unit to see firsthand how the program operates. A Different Kind of Force—Policing Mental Illness offers an unflinching look at the crisis in the U.S. mental health system today by exploring the complex and often fraught relationship between the mentally ill and law enforcement.
Link to documentary: youtu.be/DnOLvKEYIQI
Serving Safely Program
NAMI is pleased to announce the launch of Serving Safely, a national initiative to help police and sheriffs’ departments effectively respond to mental health crises. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, “Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities” will be a one-stop shop for communities—specifically law enforcement agencies—to request training and technical assistance. Through the initiative’s work, law enforcement agencies will be better prepared to interact with people experiencing mental illness or developmental disabilities and their families. NAMI will partner with the DOJ and several other organizations to develop new resources to support communities and develop a plan to guide research on mental illness and the justice system.
www.vera.org/projects/serving-safely
NAMI is pleased to announce the launch of Serving Safely, a national initiative to help police and sheriffs’ departments effectively respond to mental health crises. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, “Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities” will be a one-stop shop for communities—specifically law enforcement agencies—to request training and technical assistance. Through the initiative’s work, law enforcement agencies will be better prepared to interact with people experiencing mental illness or developmental disabilities and their families. NAMI will partner with the DOJ and several other organizations to develop new resources to support communities and develop a plan to guide research on mental illness and the justice system.
www.vera.org/projects/serving-safely
Peer-run Organizations and Criminal Justice Involvement
Click below to open the entire pdf file
reentry-and-renewel_peer-run_organizations_and_criminal_justice_involvement.pdf
Click below to open the entire pdf file
reentry-and-renewel_peer-run_organizations_and_criminal_justice_involvement.pdf
Mass Tragedies, Police and Mental Health: NAMI Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders; "Preparing for the Unimaginable” |
For more information, visit NAMI.org/cops.
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ARLINGTON, Va., May 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released a guide for police leaders,Preparing for the Unimaginable, to help police departments prepare for mass casualty events and support emotional resiliency for first-responders and their communities.
NAMI developed the guide at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Chief of Michael Kehoe (ret.) of the Newtown, Conn. police department, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in 2012. The guide "will provide chiefs and sheriffs with awareness and guidance on best practices for safeguarding mental health and wellness of first responders in the early moments of critical events and during the long aftermath," writes Chief Kehoe in the foreword.
Download the guide at www.nami.org/cops
Police officials and mental health professionals involved in the guide's development agree that the likelihood of a mass casualty event in any community actually is low—but that preparation is essential in case the unimaginable ever does occur. "Mental wellness is important regardless of whether or not a mass casualty event ever occurs. 'Police officers also face mental health issues in their everyday work," Giliberti said. "For all police departments, a key challenge is to eliminate stigma from seeking help for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other problems."
The guide has three sections and eight chapters. It includes personal stories:
Why Mental Wellness Matters
· Understanding Trauma and Resiliency
Preparing for a Mass Casualty Event
· Recommendations for Enhancing Resilience
· Planning the Incident Response for a Mass Casualty Event
· Building Your Media Team and Strategy for a Mass Casualty Event
Managing a Mass Casualty Event and its Aftermath
· Immediate Incident Response
· The First Weeks: From Chaos to New Normal
· The First Months
· The Long Haul
NAMI developed the guide at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Chief of Michael Kehoe (ret.) of the Newtown, Conn. police department, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in 2012. The guide "will provide chiefs and sheriffs with awareness and guidance on best practices for safeguarding mental health and wellness of first responders in the early moments of critical events and during the long aftermath," writes Chief Kehoe in the foreword.
Download the guide at www.nami.org/cops
Police officials and mental health professionals involved in the guide's development agree that the likelihood of a mass casualty event in any community actually is low—but that preparation is essential in case the unimaginable ever does occur. "Mental wellness is important regardless of whether or not a mass casualty event ever occurs. 'Police officers also face mental health issues in their everyday work," Giliberti said. "For all police departments, a key challenge is to eliminate stigma from seeking help for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other problems."
The guide has three sections and eight chapters. It includes personal stories:
Why Mental Wellness Matters
· Understanding Trauma and Resiliency
Preparing for a Mass Casualty Event
· Recommendations for Enhancing Resilience
· Planning the Incident Response for a Mass Casualty Event
· Building Your Media Team and Strategy for a Mass Casualty Event
Managing a Mass Casualty Event and its Aftermath
· Immediate Incident Response
· The First Weeks: From Chaos to New Normal
· The First Months
· The Long Haul