Ill. Officers Receiving New Training for Mental Health Incident Responses

Jan. 31--Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose said he believes when officers encounter suspects with potential mental health issues it's like approaching a fork in the road.

A left turn could result in the suspect going to jail, or, even worse, an officer-involved shooting.

A right turn, however, could lead to programs that provide long-term treatment to help break the cycle of incarceration, release and return to jail, a hallmark of untreated mental illness, Rose said.

But most officers, Rose said, aren't trained to recognize the signs and triggers of mental illnesses, a skill that can defuse situations with the potential to turn violent -- or even deadly.

"If you don't know about autism, for example -- what triggers actions and responses -- you may end up shooting or hurting people who have a mental condition," Rose said. "Our goal is to train all law enforcement in Lake County to be part of our Crisis Intervention Team."

That training has already begun at College of Lake County.

Lake County Health Department Executive Director Tony Beltran said people with mental health problems who commit violent crimes will almost always be arrested and incarcerated, but the training will teach officers how to react to lesser crimes, such as disturbing the peace.

Beltran said a large part of crisis intervention training involves learning "how to stop those situations from escalating."

The training teaches officers to recognize people with mental illness, and perhaps take them to a hospital or treatment center instead of jail, Beltran said.

Officers have welcomed the training because it helps protect their safety as well, Beltran said.

"It also helps keep law enforcement safe," he said. "There is a dual benefit. Everyone gets to go home safely that night."

Rose agreed, saying those from the Lake County sheriff's office who have taken the classes found it well worth the time.

"They rave about it," Rose said.

Stopping the cycle

More common than violent confrontations is the ongoing cycle of incarceration, temporary treatment in jail and eventual release of people with mental health issues, many of whom stop taking needed medications upon release and end up back in jail, officials said.

It is a costly cycle Rose said he believes can be broken with new grant-funded initiatives being put into practice.

If mental health programs involving everyone from patrol officers to court personnel are developed properly, relapses into criminal behavior can be significantly decreased, Rose said.

"So now you have productive citizens with jobs, taking care of their families, instead of being in jail," he said.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board is already watching programs underway in Lake County for possible use as a statewide model, Rose said.

The College of Lake County, a local partner in the initiative, provides space and instructors to teach officers mental health crisis intervention.

Rose said two grant-funded classes have already trained 80 officers, including 23 deputies from the sheriff's office.

An increased nationwide concern about mental health, substance abuse and police-involved shootings have led to easier access to grants for these programs.

Lake County's new initiatives are partially based on existing programs in Memphis, Tenn., and Dade County, Fla., Rose said. He and other local leaders have attended national conferences to learn, and emulate, the most successful strategies being used in other locations.

Treating addiction

As first responders are being trained, Amy Diaz, a care coordinator with Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), has been working full-time in the Lake County Jail for the past six months performing substance abuse and mental health assessments of inmates to create better treatment alternatives.

Grant funding for her position has been provided by the nonprofit Healthcare Foundation Network of Northern Lake County.

Diaz said her goal is to not only make sure those with addiction or mental health issues receive the proper care in jail, but that they also have referrals and options upon release to work toward more long-term recovery outside of the jail setting.

She said even in her relatively short tenure with the jail the need is apparent.

"I'm increasingly seeing more people who have mental health issues along with addiction," Diaz said.

Diaz said she often works with local agencies to provide ongoing help following release.

She said more than half the people she has worked with have gone on to receive long-term help outside of the jail environment, and many are grateful for the opportunity to access such options.

"They always express how thankful they are," Diaz said. "They weren't given the option before."

Chief David Wathen, who heads jail operations for the sheriff's office, said he has seen a positive impact from the new programs and supports the effort.

"It's great," Wathen said. "Even if it helps just one person get on the right track and saves a life, it's priceless."

Based on recent evaluations, about 18 percent of the jail's average 550-person inmate population have mental health and/or addiction issues, Wathen said.

Whereas specialty courts such as Mental Health Court and Drug Court are designed as a voluntary resort to prevent qualified offenders from ending up in prison, the new mental health efforts are designed to be a diversion from jail, attacking the problems at an earlier stage, Beltran said.

"What they've done is create a community mental health group," Beltran said, with members including law enforcement, the health department, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, PADS, the Lake County Board and the courts.

The health department's main role is to help provide ongoing health and mental health services to those who may not be covered by insurance and need ongoing treatment to prevent illnesses from reaching crisis stage, Beltran said.

This includes providing temporary medications after being released from jail to allow people time to find or be placed with a regular health care provider -- often the health department -- and to help the qualified enroll in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs.

Nicasa, a drug treatment center, adds to the mix by providing direct substance abuse services, because many offenders with mental health issues are also diagnosed as having addiction issues.

The effort presents challenges, from securing continuing grants to provide assessments to those in jail to the cost and time involved in attempting to train most or all county officers in crisis intervention training.

But Rose and Beltran expressed optimism that the partners in the program are devoted to its success.

"All of us got on the same page as to what we want to do," Beltran said. "Lake County is a progressive county."

jrnewton@tribpub.com

Twitter @jimnewton5

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