Police, first responders graduate crisis intervention

Jackson's largest class of crisis intervention training students graduated on Friday after a week-long course on responding to mental health situations.

Officers with the Jackson Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff's Office participated in the training as well as members of Wo/Men's Resource and Rape Assistance Program, Regional Inter-Faith Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Pathways Behavioral Health Services.

The course took the graduates through realistic situations in role-playing exercises and provided a class trip to Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar.

"They go to Bolivar the second day. It's a good balance for them," said Dale Brittain, a CIT training board member and NAMI member. "They only see them when they're being transported to the hospital."

The hospital visit and hands-on exercises are some of the most beneficial parts of the training, instructors said. During some classes, graduates are asked to put themselves in the position of someone with a mental disorder to show what the individuals are feeling when officers encounter them.

"In one class, I have them with an MP3 player listening to voices while they do everyday tasks," Susanne Watson, a CIT instructor with the Madison County Sheriff's Office, said. "They have to listen to a dispatch call and write what they remember, or read a page from a book and write what they remember."

Ryan Smith, an officer with the sheriff's office, helps with these exercises by acting as someone with a mental health disorder.

CIT graduates are taught four steps to use when working with someone who may have a disability. Class members are asked to introduce themselves to the person and get their name, tell them what they see in the person's behavior and repeat responses to show that they have heard the other person.

If class members follow these four steps in the exercise, Smith begins to calm down and respond to officers, he said. However, if the class does not follow the steps, Smith's behavior escalates.

"We teach them to calm and de-escalate the situation," Lt. Harold Petty said. "We get them the help they need."

The hands-on training is tailored for each group. Police are taught to respond to dispatches, while Jackson-Madison General Hospital employees are taught how to respond to a patient with a mental health disorder, Watson said.

Though the class is mainly targeted toward police and hospital personnel, Brittain said she hopes the class can grow to include more than just first responders.

"We wanted to train the most critical first," she said. "But we want to expand to the community."

Emma Long, a retired Pathways volunteer and CIT volunteer, said the courses are beneficial to more than just law enforcement on patrol. They can also be useful to those who work in jails or courts.

"You see a change in the officers, and you know this is needed," Long said. "They get a pin that becomes part of their uniform. When patients see that pin, it helps calm them down."

The class is typically 20 to 25 members, making the first class of 2015 the largest with 30 participants. CIT has been offered twice a year in Jackson and Madison County since 2010. Friday's graduation recognized the 10th CIT class.

Reach Maranda Faris at 425-9657. Follow her on Twitter at @MarandaFaris.