Local Police Receive Crisis Intervention Training

Last month, MHCGM had the pleasure of providing Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for 20 additional Manchester Police Officers. This training was provided in partnership with Tom Kucharski, PhD and Diana Falkenbach, PhD, both from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Crisis Intervention Training is designed to help police interact more effectively with people in mental health crises.

For the past 7 months, CIT trained officers have worked alongside MCRT on the evening shift, seven days per week. This partnership has been an invaluable resource for both MHCGM and the Manchester Police Department (MPD). From Mobile Crisis Response Team staff perspective, this partnership has created a positive working relationship between the police, clients, and staff. From the police perspective, the partnership has been just as powerful. Officer Emmett Macken had this to say about the partnership; “Over the past year I have had the pleasure to be regularly assigned to the Mobile Crisis Response Team. I have been a police officer for 17 years and can see the tremendous benefit this team offers to clients, mental health professionals and the law enforcement community. It has allowed us to respond quickly to persons having mental health and/or substance abuse disorder crisis and intervene at an early stage to provide the proper care for the individual and has diverted, to treatment, individuals who might have otherwise ended up in the criminal justice system. It is an invaluable tool for us.”

Since November 1, 2016, MCRT partnered with the police on 356 separate client interactions. As you can see, a good relationship between mental health providers and police is critical. We are fortunate that we have such an amazing partnership with Manchester Police Dept.