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Classes help Yuma police aid those with mental illness

Sun - 6/29/2017

Whether they are perpetrators, victims, or witnesses of a crime, police officers usually encounter dozens of people every day, and it is possible that a situation may involve someone who is suffering from a severe mental illness.

As such, the Yuma Police Department has announced that earlier this month it completed its first of what will be many Mental Health First Aid classes, which is geared towards teaching public safety personnel how to properly handle psychiatric emergencies.

"Every day our officers respond to people in crisis due to mental illness or substance abuse. This course will help our officers and staff to identify what they are facing, how to deal with the situation and help the people who need it," said City of Yuma Chief of Police John Lekan. "It's another resource in our toolbox to help our community."

Sgt. Lori Franklin, a spokesperson for the Yuma Police Department, said that the eight-hour course is being taught to all officers and civilian staff. She added they hope to have 80 percent of department personnel trained by August.

A mentally ill person in crisis might not behave the way an officer expects, which can be misperceived as being not following directions or even aggressive.

Franklin explained that once officers complete this kind of training, they will be better able to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and respond appropriately, therefore situations that might once have escalated can turn out completely differently.

"Studies show that one in five people is suffering from some type of a mental illness," Franklin said. "This will help our officer defuse the situation and respond accordingly."

Just as CPR helps someone assist an individual having a heart attack, the Mental Health First Aid helps someone assist a person experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis.

In the Mental Health First Aid course, YPD personnel will learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.