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The New Training That’s Changing the Way NOPD Responds to People in Crisis

by Dawne Massey

April 4, 2016

Categories: On the Beat, Videos

Topics: Police Training

The call came in to dispatch as a mental disturbance. A man known to the neighborhood as someone suffering from mental health issues was off of his medication and he had been drinking. Officer Andrew Wiedman didn’t know what to expect, but he knew how he was going to respond.

“Instead of a ‘Stand up, turn around, put your hands behind your back’ approach, I started talking with him while he sat in his porch chair,” said Wiedman. “I explained that taking a ride to the hospital was the best way for him to get help. He was adamantly opposed, but he remained calm because we were having a conversation.”

Wiedman’s quick-thinking and methodical response to the situation came directly from specialized training he received on the job known as Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. CIT is a nationally recognized ‘best practices’ approach in recognizing and managing behavior that may be attributable to a mental health disorder. The department started CIT training last year to equip officers with the knowledge and tools they need to safely respond to and de-escalate mental health crises in the field.

“One of the main things we keep repeating when we’re interacting with citizens is ‘I’m here to help’”, said Wiedman. “It’s important to let them know we are listening and they are being heard. When they feel they’re not being heard, that’s when the situation can escalate to violence.”

Under the program, specially chosen officers receive 40 hours of intense training from mental health experts focused on techniques and best practices for minimizing the use of force against individuals in crisis due to mental illness or a behavioral disorder. Once they complete training, CIT officers are assigned to each police district and are trained to respond to and de-escalate mental health crises.

“This approach brings empathy to the table and allows officers to have a better understanding of the personal issues that people are dealing with on the streets,” said NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison.

In Wiedman’s case, he was eventually able to calmly walk the man back to his nearby police unit. Officers later learned the man had two knives hidden inside of the cushion of his porch chair.

“I like to think that because we engaged him and took time to let him know he was being heard and understood, he didn’t feel the need to arm himself and attack the people who were there to help,” said Wiedman.

The training Wiedman used kept both the victim and responding officers safe. Unfortunately, that same scenario plays out across the city every day. In fact, the department responded to more than 3,800 calls involving someone having a mental health crisis in 2015. That’s why the new CIT training is so important. 

“CIT training helps build a bridge between police officers and the local mental health community because it shows them how to connect the individual in crisis with the mental health services they need instead of just taking them to jail,” said Cecile Tebo, director of the NOPD Officer Assistance Program.

In order to build community partnership and take advantage of resources, the department partners with local mental health organizations and institutions to help connect individuals with the services that fit their needs. In addition to working with area hospitals, the program partners with local organizations, including, Covenant House, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Essential Care, Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD), the 211 crisis line, Odyssey House Louisiana, Veterans Administration, and the Harry Tompson Center.

Since last September, nearly 50 officers have completed the week-long CIT training. The next CIT training is scheduled for later this spring.

As part of the federal Consent Decree, the NOPD is committed to training at least 20 percent of the force in CIT by this August.