Officers complete the crisis intervention training

Hattiesburg, Miss. (WDAM) – It is a training session that goes beyond the badge.

Fourteen law enforcement officers from the pine belt completed a one -week training program for crisis interventions.

The 40-hour course was led by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources from the Hattiesburg Police and Fire Training Academy.

The Pine Belt Crisis intervention team works with law enforcement officers and tries to offer a better understanding and non -violent instruments in order to deal with someone in a crisis on mental health.

“We teach you about mental health and de -escalation skills,” said Samantha Brogan, coordinator of Pine Belt Cit. “So if you come to someone in a crisis, you could see the signs and symptoms of a mental illness and can do this situation a little better.”

It is a practical approach to real situations with which civil servants are in the job.

“This is a tool to convey the knowledge of what mental health is and to recognize the signs and symptoms,” said Brogan. “It does not replace what you have learned as security in relation to security. We only give you an additional tool.”

The officials learned how to approach situations differently by listening first and acting with empathy.

“It is important to approach them differently because they are not aware of what they are doing for most of the time because they are in a crisis,” said Shatrice Bolton, police authority at Hattiesburg.

Some said the class was a memory that sometimes someone can simply listen.

“Many people just want to be heard,” said HPD SGT. Tyler McCann. “Many people with mental illnesses only want someone to listen to them and talk to them and let them know that there are people who take care of them in this world.”

Program organizers said it is not just about reducing arrests, but more about getting help in a psychological health crisis that they need instead of handcuffs.

“A mental illness is not a crime, and that's exactly what we teach law enforcement,” said Borgan. “And if you can see what's going on with this person, you can get you the better help you need.”

The officials who completed the class came from the Hattiesburg police authority, the sheriff office of the Sheriff of Forrest County, the police authority of the Forrest General Hospital and the Diamondhead police.

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