Police hold training for how to interact with mentally ill

June 05--A training in how police can better interact with people who are in the midst of mental health crises drew dozens of officers from around the state to Madison this week.

The 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training program taught officers how to identify signs that someone is suffering from mental health ailments, how to deescalate potentially tense situations and how to connect mentally ill people with local services, said Madison police Sgt. Jen Kane, who led the training.

Recent police shootings involving mentally ill people -- including the death of Dontre Hamilton, who suffered from schizophrenia and was shot by a Milwaukee police officer last year -- have led to calls for more officers to receive the training.

Police and health officials have also said it is increasingly important for law enforcement to know how to deal with the mentally ill, given shortcomings in many local mental health-care systems.

Thirty-five officers attended the training, many from around Dane County and others from elsewhere in Wisconsin. It was hosted by the Madison Police Department and finished on Friday.

Every Madison police officer receives at least 40 hours of comparable mental health training as part of the department's recruit academy, Kane said.

Along with classroom instruction, officers met with social workers and people who suffer from mental health ailments, and took part in role-playing scenarios, Kane said.

Much of the instruction comes down to, "How do we effectively talk?" Kane said -- how officers can best communicate with those experiencing a crisis to peacefully resolve the situation.

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