On mental-health calls, officers call on training

The Sentinel & Enterprise News

Police in Fitchburg, MA report good results from their special training in responding to suicide and other mental health calls. “I’ve always believed that a cellblock is not the place for someone with mental-health issues,” said Police Chief Robert DeMoura. Out of 420 suicide-related calls in the past year, approximately two-thirds of the individuals were brought to a hospital or provided with a mental health referral. Three years ago, the Fitchburg police department petitioned the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for support to receive the training, and was awarded the first grant in the state for this purpose. “It’s so we don’t get hurt, and they don’t get hurt, and we can afford them the best treatment available,” said Captain Paul Bozicas. “We’re excited about it. It makes our job safer, and more importantly it’s safer for the person we’re dealing with.” Every Fitchburg officer has now been trained, and the department has partnered with local nonprofits to provide on-call clinicians who can respond to calls with the police. Additional grants are being sought to fund work shifts for clinicians at the department headquarters, in order to shorten response time on calls where they are needed. Recently, the department has conducted week-long trainings for police from neighboring towns.

Spark Extra! Check out The Role of Law Enforcement Officers in Preventing Suicide.