Police officers responded to a mother’s 911 call after her son had several drinks at a bar and texted her “goodbye” — it’s just one of many scenarios law enforcement officers practice under Crisis Intervention Team training.The 11 News I-Team got an exclusive look at the training officers receive at the Baltimore County Police Training Academy. The officers are trained to handle a variety of emotional and mental crisis situations.In the case of the mother’s call for help, the officers convinced the man to go to the hospital and get help.Another scenario involved a woman in the midst of a schizophrenic episode who was upsetting customers in a convenience store. Instead of trying to take her directly to a hospital, the officers worked to get enough information from her to reach a family member who could take her home.After each training example, the officers and trainers debriefed how the situation worked out and what could be done better. Trainers say those teachable moments will help officers in the future.”(It allows officers) to be able to enter the chaos of that scene with some level of confidence with an understanding of the background of where these issues may have come from,” said Baltimore County police Sgt. Shawn Havens.Slideshow: Honoring fallen Baltimore County police officersThe officers spend a week of training on various mental health illnesses, de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution. They learn about traumatic brain injuries, addiction, veterans and PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, gambling, death and grieving, and other kinds of trauma.To be able to handle those situations, they also train in crisis de-escalation, conflict management, restorative practices and the importance of self-care.Despite the training, Havens admits there is no magic wand to address every situation.”Unfortunately, there are situations where that person may not be in control sufficiently, may not be willing to communicate, may not be able to communicate, and the de-escalation simply cannot happen because there’s not that two-way communication,” Havens said.He said officers need to have the ability to control their own emotions when addressing others.”It has to do with understanding your own mental health, understanding the mental health of others and understanding how stressors and significant incidents in a person’s life could affect them,” Havens said.The training takes place thanks to state funding and is organized for the health department by the vendor Sante.
Police officers responded to a mother’s 911 call after her son had several drinks at a bar and texted her “goodbye” — it’s just one of many scenarios law enforcement officers practice under Crisis Intervention Team training.
The 11 News I-Team got an exclusive look at the training officers receive at the Baltimore County Police Training Academy. The officers are trained to handle a variety of emotional and mental crisis situations.
In the case of the mother’s call for help, the officers convinced the man to go to the hospital and get help.
Another scenario involved a woman in the midst of a schizophrenic episode who was upsetting customers in a convenience store. Instead of trying to take her directly to a hospital, the officers worked to get enough information from her to reach a family member who could take her home.
After each training example, the officers and trainers debriefed how the situation worked out and what could be done better. Trainers say those teachable moments will help officers in the future.
“(It allows officers) to be able to enter the chaos of that scene with some level of confidence with an understanding of the background of where these issues may have come from,” said Baltimore County police Sgt. Shawn Havens.
Slideshow: Honoring fallen Baltimore County police officers
The officers spend a week of training on various mental health illnesses, de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution. They learn about traumatic brain injuries, addiction, veterans and PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, gambling, death and grieving, and other kinds of trauma.
To be able to handle those situations, they also train in crisis de-escalation, conflict management, restorative practices and the importance of self-care.
Despite the training, Havens admits there is no magic wand to address every situation.
“Unfortunately, there are situations where that person may not be in control sufficiently, may not be willing to communicate, may not be able to communicate, and the de-escalation simply cannot happen because there’s not that two-way communication,” Havens said.
He said officers need to have the ability to control their own emotions when addressing others.
“It has to do with understanding your own mental health, understanding the mental health of others and understanding how stressors and significant incidents in a person’s life could affect them,” Havens said.
The training takes place thanks to state funding and is organized for the health department by the vendor Sante.
