Mental health response: Police train how to handle crisis situations

Mar. 14—TWIN FALLS — For a person in the middle of a mental health crisis, dispatching someone wearing a badge and carrying a gun might not be the best choice.

But for when qualified mental health providers aren't available, law enforcement officers receive training to better recognize and handle situations involving someone in such a situation.

Encounters between law enforcement officers and the mentally ill can have negative results. Between 2015 and 2020, a quarter of fatal police shootings in the U.S. involved someone with a mental illness, statistics show.

As officials try to bring that number down, law enforcement is seeking to have "a more holistic approach, a more passionate approach" when dealing with the situations, said Twin Falls County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Mencl.

Last week, local police officers, deputies and others gathered at St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center to gain insight about interactions with someone suffering from a mental illness, addiction or in a mental health crisis.

The program, with days worth of valuable learning called Crisis Intervention Training, had its beginnings in Twin Falls County dating back to 2009, Mencl said.

More than 2,700 communities nationwide have implemented similar programs. Since about 2015, with the exception of a few pandemic years, about 30 officers have gone through the training in Magic Valley each year.

With the training, they'll be better able to handle the myriad of calls they respond to, with each one having its own dynamics and difficulties.

"The more knowledgeable an officer is in identifying appropriate communication and responses for each of those events, particularly when dealing with a person experiencing mental health concerns, is paramount to a successful outcome," sheriff's office spokesperson Lori Stewart said.

And last Friday, law enforcement officers, probation and parole personnel and St. Luke's security personnel celebrated with increased confidence and a feeling they are better prepared to face such challenges as they received their diplomas.

It's not uncommon for law enforcement officers to encounter those in mental health situations — whether it be to someone hanging onto the side of the railing of the Perrine Bridge or someone distressed at their home, Mencl said.

Twin Falls Police Sgt. Dusty Solomon related that police officers in her city are acquainted with an individual with mental illness who occasionally goes off medications and will cause a disturbance in the neighborhood.

"That is always going to cause a commotion and neighbors are going to call in," Solomon said.

But when officers respond, they know the woman and her circumstances.

"They know how to speak to her and to start that conversation and get her to agree to go to the hospital with them," Solomon said.

Some situations can be scary as law enforcement try to access the situation after a violent act.

On Dec. 26, Brandalyn Michelle Maglaughlin, 42, stabbed a man and shot another in Jerome County, police say. In recalling that incident, Sheriff George Oppedyk said deputies at first didn't know what they were responding to, whether it be a domestic dispute or intruder.

Once Maglaughlin's mother was contacted, it was learned that she hadn't been taking her medications.

"But that didn't make her any less dangerous," Oppedyk said.

Due to the violent nature of the incident, deputies took her to the county jail, and a court hearing the next day was postponed due to a reported mental health situation. Maglaughlin was committed to State Hospital South in Blackfoot for a time.

Records show the order of commitment was terminated on March 5 and that she is now back in jail awaiting a March 21 preliminary hearing.

Oppedyk said he was glad that the incident ended without harm to his deputies or Maglaughlin.

Whether it be for police officers, firefighters or EMS, there needs to be an understanding "that not everything is medical — some things are mental health," said Lisa Bayes, clinical director at the Crisis Center of South Central Idaho in Twin Falls.

Solomon said that officers can understand that a person having mental health issues might not want to be disobedient to a law officer's orders.

"They might be hearing voices in their head telling them to do something else," she said.

And knowing what resources are available is vital, Bayes said. Sometimes it can mean taking someone to the emergency room, but sometimes not, she said.

The Crisis Center provides emergency substance abuse and mental health services for adults without charges to patients in need and has a good working relationship with law enforcement and probation and parole. Someone can stay at the center for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes but most people get the help they need in less time.

"The Crisis Center has been a big help," Oppedyk said, while acknowledging it is not a long-term solution with the 24-hour limit.

Mencl said officers are also trained in substance abuse, which, when manifested, can be similar to mental health situations.

Even when it's neither, "I tell people that these skills are good for any crisis situation," Solomon said.

Mobile Crisis Teams

As Mencl said, it can be better for mental health providers — rather than law enforcement officers — to show up on someone's doorstep when it isn't a violent situation.

And that is happening to a limited degree in the Magic Valley in the form of mobile response teams, said Val Seeley, adult mental health clinician with Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

"We get calls from school counselors. We get calls from family members," Seeley said.

They also are in contact with law enforcement officers, sometimes asking the Health and Welfare members to meet them at a certain location, or providing feedback that officers encountered someone the night before that, although they didn't want to go to the hospital, they could use some follow-up.

But what is frustrating for both law enforcement and Health and Welfare, Seeley said, is that the mobile response teams work only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Oppedyk noted that many situations involving mental illness or mental health crises often happen on weekends or late at night.

But the mobile response teams' services are expected to expand.

As Health and Welfare transitions to managed care, a contract was issued to Magellan Healthcare, which will hire and train mobile responders.

"The contract will include expectations that the mobile crisis response will grow... over the course of a couple of years and it will be 24/7," Oppedyk said.

Seeley has seen productive times when participating with mobile response. Usually, in addition to a clinician, a "peer support specialist," someone who is in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse addiction, and has experience and now in recovery, comes along.

About two weeks ago, he went on a call to Buhl; the man they visited was in his mid-20s and had an addiction problem and suffered from depression.

The peer support specialist understood the man's struggles — he used to be in the same position — and they went for a walk.

"We took a couple of laps round the block and this guy said, 'I feel so much better. I'm glad law enforcement didn't show up,'" Seeley said.

The team got the man back into a therapist and back on medication.

Eventually, Seeley said he aims to have the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline more broadly known and used.

"The goal in the long term, when mobile teams are ready at all hours of the day, is that people will understand to call 911 if they need strictly law enforcement and call 988 for mental health crisis and then 988 will become the dispatch for mobile response calls.

"We aren't there yet," Seeley said. "We are still trying to educate the community."

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