NEW PORT RICHEY — Police Chief Robert Kochen and all of the city’s police officers recently joined Mental Health First Aid, a national program aimed at teaching people, including but not limited to first responders, how to recognize signs. trained in the procedure (MHFA). About mental health issues. And, just as important, how to engage with people in a positive way so that they are receptive to help.
This program differs from crisis intervention training in that it aims to provide assistance to people before they are in crisis. However, it also helps train participants on what to do if they encounter someone in a full-blown crisis.
About half of the city’s police officers have received CIT training, and Kochen said he plans to expand that to the entire force as part of his goal to achieve state police certification. But this is different, he told Suncoast News.
“This has nothing to do with accreditation,” he said. “We have a LIFT team and this is kind of an extension of that because all our officers are trained just like they are.” The LIFT (Life Improvement Facilities Team) department said: We actively reach out to people in crisis, including those without homes, connecting them to services and striving to avoid becoming a statistic in the justice system.
“Obviously, when you go out there and a violent crime occurs, you still have to arrest people,” Kochen said. “We still have to arrest people, we still have to prosecute people, we still have to protect the public. But there are so many people who need services and need intervention and help with the problems they have. , we can try to keep them out of the criminal justice system and access support and resources that can address their issues and issues.”
And, not coincidentally, nipping some of the problems in the bud could help, for example, with the need for 911 calls to mobilize police and paramedic personnel and equipment that might be better utilized in other emergencies. Avoiding sex can prevent communities from wasting limited resources. .
Still, Kochen said, “The demands on police in the United States are changing dramatically.” We are dealing with the opioid crisis in the United States. We work with people who have mental health issues and who are in crisis. So what we’re trying to do is train police officers to give them the tools to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues. The real purpose of this type of training is to identify these problems early. So police officers can be trained to spot mental health issues in people and see if they need services or comprehensive services. And if we’re dealing with people in crisis, we should be better equipped and better trained to get through the crisis and get the help we need. ”
communication is key
Lift unit sergeant. Officers Matthew Patch and Mark Ammiano are MHFA certified instructors and led the training. This included online pre-work, one day of in-person instruction, after-class work, and a final test. During a recent on-site training, instructors went through a curriculum that included videos provided by her MHFA that explored various potential scenarios. They depict people at various stages of stress or crisis and the responses of those around them. Was that interaction helpful? If not, what could have been better? Would threatening to hospitalize someone solve the situation? Does asking someone if they are suicidal bring those thoughts to mind? Would it be helpful to tell someone to count their blessings?
“We all know that the most powerful tool we have is the ability to communicate,” Patsch says.
Amiano said the training will help officers not only work with the public, but also in their personal and professional lives. He said police work was extremely stressful and many officers could be silently suffering from mental health problems for fear of being stigmatized or having their careers derailed. It pointed out. If a person is struggling with work stress or family issues, officers may think that asking for help will have a negative impact, he said. Therefore, it would be helpful to train police officers to communicate with each other, he said. He said the department offers many resources for employees who may have mental health issues, and taking advantage of them will not prevent them from advancing their careers. The program’s curriculum pays attention to self-care and the need for all people, not just first responders, to take time for themselves, find ways to de-stress, and take advantage of available resources. . The old airplane example of grabbing your own oxygen mask before helping others is certainly powerful.
“We can’t go back to the old way of policing,” Patch said. “That’s impossible.”
