The increase in calls involving a mental health or intellectual disability require that law enforcement have the ability to rely on mental health crisis clinicians who in turn understand the limitations and complexities of police work. Training together provides the foundation for a safe and reliable response across several disciplines. The state of Vermont offers a unique one day training that brings first responders together in a scenario based setting that is easily adaptable to other rural jurisdictions. Learn how the training runs, how to foster collaboration among law enforcement, dispatchers, mental health crisis clinicians and medical personnel and leave with the tools and confidence to run a similar training in your jurisdiction. 

Smaller Agency Track session recording.

Recently, there has been increased scrutiny on law enforcement when dealing with suicidal subjects, with agencies considering if they should respond, can they use force, and if and when they should walk away. This class will detail a full range of options, from mental health programs, foundational concepts, the use of less lethal, and an understanding of the law and use of force to build a complete toolbox for addressing these calls. Participants will leave with knowledge to help create policy and training programs to respond in an ethical, legally defensible, and repeatable manner. They will also know when it is appropriate to use force, use a tactical team, or have officers walk away, as well as, the consequences of those actions.

Smaller Agency Track session recording.

This session provides law enforcement officers with the understanding and tools needed to conduct cost-effective sting operations and follow-up investigations using minimal man-power. Attendees will learn how to locate potential victims of human trafficking, how to utilize victim centered investigative techniques, and how to successfully rescue victims. Human Trafficking Detective Joe Scaramucci, Waco, Texas will discuss online sting operations targeting the recovery of victims, and the accountability of traffickers involved in street trafficking, online trafficking, and illicit massage businesses.  All agencies have one thing in common: law enforcement need the eyes and ears of the community because they will come into contact with trafficking victims. It is essential that officers from limited resource agencies understand human trafficking identifiers and undertake a proactive collaborative response - regardless of size and resources, collaboration is the only way for law enforcement to disrupt major crime and rescue victims.

For many smaller agencies, the cost and time commitment of CIT training is difficult to manage. Last year, researchers partnered with a mid-sized law enforcement agency to develop a new, one-day crisis intervention training for officers. The 8-hour protocol, developed through interviews, ride-alongs, and research, focuses on mental illness, de-escalation skills, trauma, officer wellness, and identifies local mental health resources. The training was delivered to 70 officers and staff in-house. After collecting data for one year, including reviewing all of the agency's crisis call records, the program was shown to be effective at improving knowledge of community resources and reducing the number of repeat crisis calls over time. 

As many as 1 in 10 calls for service involve someone in a behavioral health crisis. And, for people who have serious mental illnesses and co-occurring mental health and substance addictions, up to 50 percent have had criminal justice contact. Law enforcement agencies are building PMHC strategies with BJA-developed tools and implementation strategies to plan and implement effective responses. Tools such as a national curriculum, and an online/mobile response toolkit. Participants will learn how to enhance their strategy through BJA's 10-national,LE/MH peer learning sites and implement the BJA-PMHC Framework Document. The panel will discuss moving to 'prevention' v 'intervention' and such advances as crisis stabilization units.