Pledge your support for the One Mind Campaign, designed to Enhance Law Enforcement Engagement with People in Crisis and/or with Mental Health Issues or Disorders 

The IACP, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has been working to address police engagement with people in crisis and/or with mental health issues or disorders for the past several years. In 2010, IACP issued a report that focused on a broad range of goals for legislators, mental health experts, and law enforcement officers addressing legislation and policy, first responders, youth, cross-system collaboration, and offender re-entry into the community. In 2018, IACP updated the Model Policy Responding to Persons Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis, originally issued in 2014. This Model Policy highlights the unique challenges that law enforcement agencies face in responding to persons in crisis and provides guidance, techniques, and resources so that the situation can be resolved in a constructive manner. in 2015, the IACP issued Interactions with Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, as an expansion of the 2010 summit report, and updated it again 2017. As part of the ongoing effort to update and reignite efforts to enhance police response to mental health crises, IACP is excited to highlight the work of the One Mind Campaign.

The One Mind Campaign seeks to ensure successful interactions between law enforcement and people in crisis and/or with mental health issues or disorders. To join the campaign, law enforcement agencies must commit to implementing the four promising practices over a 12-36 month timeframe. Agencies and organizations demonstrating a serious commitment to implementing all four required strategies will become publicly recognized members of the One Mind Campaign.

The strategies are:

• Establish a clearly defined and sustainable partnership with one or more community mental health organization(s)
• Develop and implement a model policy addressing police response to people with mental health issues or disorders
• Train and certify 100 percent of the agency’s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers) in Mental Health First Aid (or equivalent)
• Provide CIT or equivalent crisis response training to a minimum of 20 percent of the agency’s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers)

The campaign provides a unique opportunity for law enforcement to make the transition from reacting and responding to these situations toward becoming a proactive leader, with improved response to situations involving mental health crises. The goal of the One Mind Campaign is to create sustainable relationships between police and the mental health community.

For more information visit the One Mind Campaign’s website or contact [email protected].