Police Mental Health Instructor Update Training

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Police Mental Health Instructor Update Training

Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement

Erie County

February 21 - 22, 2018

 

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Office of Public Safety is in the process of completing a comprehensive review and update of the Municipal Police Training Council's (MPTC) Basic Course for Police Officers (BCPO).  During the December 6, 2017 MPTC Meeting, the Council approved a revised section of instruction on mental illness.  This updated section, now entitled Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement will impact the BCPO as well as other related programs that utilize the BCPO for instruction and/or equivalency.  The following is a summary of the changes that have been made to the curriculum and an overview of the implementation plan for instructors to become familiar with the new curriculum.  In standing with the recommendation that this section be team taught by a law enforcement instructor and a mental health practitioner, all academies are asked to have both members of their instructional team attend these training sessions.

Overview of Changes:

The Mental Illness section has been replaced by the new Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement section and the minimum number of hours of instruction has increased from fourteen (14) to twenty (20).  Whereas the former section focused on the characteristics of mental illness and law enforcement interventions in high and low risk encounters with emotionally distressed persons, the new section focuses on more specific mental health issues, impact of community, and how law enforcement can safely and effectively respond to an individual who is experiencing an emotional crisis.  The new section also places a strong emphasis on crisis intervention skills, teaching law enforcement how to recognize, identify and assess the person and situation as one involving an emotionally distressed person and how to respond accordingly.  The new section builds upon core skills of communication and decision-making while being rooted in an understanding of use of force issues and defensive tactics.  This section teaches recruits to effectively respond to a mental health call with the goal of reducing potential injury to everyone involved and appropriately redirecting the individual in crisis to local resources.

Implementation Requirements of New Curriculum for Police and Peace Basic Training

The change in the focus of this section is significant.  The Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) recognizes the degree to which the section has been changed and the importance of a consistent delivery statewide.  Therefore, the MPTC is requiring all instructors who will deliver this new lesson receive specialized instruction.  Accordingly, DCJS has created an implementation plan which includes providing this instruction to those trainers who teach this module of training.  The plan involves a sustainable model whereby current DCJS approved instructors that successfully complete the required day and a half refresher training will be approved to instruct the same day and a half refresher training to other Mental Health instructors in their agency and surrounding jurisdictions.  To further assist trainers to meet this new instructor requirement, there will be a series of day and a half refreshers conducted regionally across New York State.  These training sessions will be conducted in a timely fashion to prepare academies to begin using the new curriculum by the required dates for police and peace officers - as outlined below.

Police and Peace Officer Training Implementation (Basic Course for Police Officers and Campus Public Safety Training Course)

All training academies and agencies submitting course curricula for approval to conduct a Basic Course for Police Officers and / or Campus Public Safety Officer Course that would begin on or after September 1, 2018 must utilize the new Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement curriculum.  Instruction must also be provided by a DCJS approved general topics instructor who has successfully completed the day and a half Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement curriculum update training (register via this announcement).

Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement Overview Offerings

While every effort will be made to accommodate as many academies and agencies as possible to meet this new instructor requirement, first preference will be given to those officers who actively teach this topic in the Basic Course for Police Officers and / or Campus Public Safety Officer Course to meet the September 1, 2018 requirement.  Based on the cadre of approved instructors that will be established because of the series of OMH hosted courses outlined below.  DCJS will evaluate the need to offer additional courses in 2018 to further support the implementation of the Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement.

To aid the task of reaching all qualified instructors in New York State and maximize limited seating, DCJS asks that you submit registrations for your academy's primary law enforcement and mental health practitioner Police Mental Health Instructor(s).

The Fundamental Crisis Intervention Skills for Law Enforcement day and a half update training will be offered in the following locations during 2018:

Erie County - February 21 - 22, 2018

Westchester County - February 28 - March 1, 2018

Oneida County - March 27 - 28, 2018

Albany County - April 24 - 25, 2018

Pre-Registration is required.  All interested parties must register two weeks prior to the course.  The location of training and class times will be provided through an email confirmation; therefore, you must register to attend.  Please note, only currently certified Police Mental Health instructors are eligible to register to this update training. Course registration must be completed online here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4112009/Fundamental-Crisis-Intervention-Skills-for-Law-Enforcement

If you have any questions about the training, please contact Rana Meehan by email at rana.meehan@omh.ny.gov or by telephone at 518-549-2142