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In the wake of another police shooting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for an immediate review of how the Chicago Police Department trains officers to respond to calls involving people in crisis or with mental health problems.

But advocates for what’s known as crisis intervention team training say Chicago’s program has been “starved” of resources, with only about 15 percent of officers completing the 40-hour course. Advocates say they tried to get meetings with Emanuel early in his first term to stress the importance of the training and ask the city to invest more in it, but were ignored. Illinois’ budget crisis also created a lapse, not just in Chicago but elsewhere. There’s been no money for new training classes since last summer, but now some funds are available and Chicago Police plan to train 910 more officers in 2016, starting next month. […]

In Miami-Dade, Florida, by contrast 75 percent of police have been trained. They now take the mentally ill to treatment, which is a big reason James said that Miami-Dade’s jail population fell from 7,800 to 5,600.

By contrast, Cook County Jail remains the State of Illinois’ largest mental health care facility.

This is not expensive training, but it’s invaluable.

* Ben Joravsky has another good idea…

Mayor Emanuel jetted home from his ten-day vacation in Cuba on Tuesday to announce that police have to do a better job of responding to “mental health crises.” […]

But you know, I think the mayor ought to be a little reluctant to ever mention the words “mental” and “health” in the same sentence, given his rather shameful policies on this issue.

I am, of course, referring to his unilateral decision back in 2011 to close six of the city’s 12 mental health clinics, most of which served high-crime, low-income black and Hispanic communities that need such help the most.

Closings the mayor conveniently managed not to mention at today’s press conference, where he tried to enumerate all the people to blame for the recent spate of police shootings without, of course, mentioning himself.

I might mention that the clinic closings were part of his first budget package, which the City Council unanimously passed out of fear that the mayor would avenge a no vote by unfavorably redrawing their wards in the upcoming redistricting.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 1:03 pm

Comments

Off subject, but thanks, Rich. I will now have Guy Clark tunes stuck in my head all afternoon.

Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 1:10 pm
The next thing you know Rahm will start talking about the schools as if he hasn’t done what he can to gut public education in the city.

Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 1:41 pm
How about we not only require the mental health training for 100% of officers before they go on duty and adjust our entire police training to a system of community policing. We need to move away from shoot to kill training which at least some police forces still utilize.

Comment by Ahoy! Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 1:54 pm
As can be seen in the NYE document dump by the city, it’s not about “stuff that works,” it’s about the appearance of “stuff that works” in order to roll over the media that day. It’s all about some topline number no matter how meaningless or decontextualized it actually is.

Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:00 pm
Ben is a big government liberal advocating for a bigger welfare state. The offender in question has not been diagnosed with a mental illness nor had he sought help for a mental health issue, according to his mother in a media report. The clinic closings had no impact for this individual.

When a politician has little interest in meeting with community leaders, disasters like this shooting are a result.

Comment by Muscular Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:07 pm
Precinct Captain is correct.

CIT in particular is a figleaf. Obviously training should be at 100%, because police respond to 911 calls, not just 311 calls. So understanding how to appropriately manage crises, including mental health crises, is a core job component.

But the culture is invested in the line that they are warriors against bad guys employing any means necessary who deserve never to be questioned.

The system works perfectly well for those who internalize the culture. Officers don’t lie on their police reports because of their lack of training. It’s part of their training.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:30 pm
“It’s part of their training.”

Some will say that statement goes too far. Most people who say that have never been to a PO training.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:31 pm
This was never an issue until the meltdown of the Illinois mental health system, that we have all witnessed. As one of the “old guy” police officers, I remember a day when mentally disabled persons could directly be brought to a state facility like Madden Mental Health. Those days are long gone. Today’s police officers now have to spend HOURS bring these subjects into municipal lock-up facilities which were never designed for the mentally ill. They have to lock them up for hours while trying to get family involved (good luck there)social services involved (who are overloaded), then have to figure out insurance or social security ability to pay, before trying to even find a bed at a private hospital facility. After 30 years of watching this, it is truly sick and sad.

Comment by PJK Police Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 11:13 am
Ahoy- good point. When police kill, it’s usually spun as a lack of training. In other words, they meant well, but they were “forced” to fire their weapons in defense of themselves and others, because their lives were in imminent danger, etc.
All the police union press releases read the same.

Training means the cops who make bad decisions and kill people get to keep their job if they try harder next time. It’s a job. If garbagemen don’t pick up the garbage, they lose their jobs. Why not the same for cops? Prosecute those who commit crimes so no one is above the law.

Comment by Payback Monday, Jan 11, 16 @ 3:24 pm