NCJ Number
207165
Date Published
January 2002
Length
90 pages
Annotation
This field guide, which accompanies the California police officers' advanced training course entitled "Police Response to People With Mental Illness or Developmental Disability," provides information on these handicapping conditions of suspects and victims and presents guidelines for officers in effectively communicating, interacting, and managing contacts with such individuals.
Abstract
The introductory chapter emphasizes the importance of officers treating mentally ill and disabled citizens with dignity and respect. Some myths about these conditions are dispelled. The second chapter addresses developmental disabilities as it discusses categories of developmental disabilities, communicating with people who are cognitively impaired, and officer safety issues. This is followed by a chapter on mental illness, which focuses on the characteristics of major mental illness, categories of mental illness, indicators of mental illness, and medications that control mental illness. A chapter on verbal intervention strategies guides officers in first-responder rapid assessment for mental illness and disability, tactical communication, and response to problem communications. The chapter on suicide covers general warning signs, response to suicide calls, incident command and leadership, imminent pre-death behavior and response, and "suicide by cop." In the chapter on "Responding to Violent Subjects," the topics covered include the psychology of force, less lethal options for violent encounters, planning for high-risk situation, and tactical considerations for high-risk situations. Family referrals, community-oriented policing, and proactive networking are discussed in the chapter on community resources and collaborations. The chapter on incident disposition addresses incident investigation and documentation as well as property disposition. The final chapter considers crime victims with disabilities. Topics discussed are the underreporting of crimes, investigation and prosecution, interviewing strategies, and indicators of abuse or neglect. A 22-item bibliography and appended legal references and community and State resources