ACCPD Recognized
The
Athens-Clarke County Police Department was recently recognized in a
study conducted by the Council of State Governments. This study dealt
with problems between the criminal justice system and mentally ill citizens.
In 1997 the ACCPD developed a Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) to train
officers to respond effectively to calls for service involving people
with mental illness. This program was based on a similar one in Memphis,
TN. Unlike that program, the ACC government determined special teams
alone could not provide an adequate law enforcement response to serve
a persons with mental illnesses. They believe every officer must be
able to respond effectively to calls for service involving persons with
mental illnesses.
After graduation from the state-mandated academy, new officers are required
to attend post-academy training in mental health crisis intervention.
About half of the sworn officers have gone through this training which
is conducted by local health care providers. These workers donate their
time and expertise to teach the classes. During the sessions, officers
visit a local hospital or mental health facility to learn from and interact
with the patients.
When an officer arrives on the scene of an incident, he must determine
if the subject is a danger to himself or anyone else. Based on the training,
he must then decide if the subject needs to be evaluated. If it is determined
an evaluation is needed, the subject is transported to a local mental
health facility during regular business hours or to a hospital emergency
room if after hours. After hours the mental health worker will meet
them at the hospital.
As a result of the institution of this training program, the ACCPD has
developed good working relationships with several mental health associations
and advocacy groups. Due to his work with CIP, Captain James Williams,
ACCPD’s liaison to the mental health care providers, was awarded
the Mental Health Association’s annual award for public services
in April 2001.
The ACCPD will continue providing this training to sworn personnel until
all have been trained.
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