2008 CACP and Mental Health Commission of Canada

7/30/2019 2008 CACP and Mental Health Commission of Canada

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AStudyofPoliceAcademyTrainingandEducationforNewPoliceOfficersRelatedtoWorkingwithPeoplewithMentalIllness

Preparedonbehalfof

ThePolice/MentalHealthSubcommitteeoftheCanadianAssociationofChiefsofPoliceand

TheMentalHealthandtheLawAdvisoryCommitteeoftheMentalHealthCommissionofCanada

DorothyCottonandTerryColeman

November2008


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IntroductionItisagivenincontemporarypolicinginCanadathatinvolvementwithpeoplewithmental

illnesses(PMI)isanintegralpartoftheworkofpoliceofficers,particularlybutnotexclusivelyat

thelevelofthefirstresponder. Indeed,therearemanycircumstancesunderwhichpolice

officersencounterpeoplewithmentalillnesses. Theseinclude:

attendingpersonsexperiencingmentalhealthcrises,includingapprehensionsundertheMentalHealthAct;

callsinwhichthepublicisconcernedaboutthebehaviourofapersonwhomaynothaveactuallydoneanythingwrongorillegalbutismakingpeopleuncomfortable;

situationsinwhichthePMIhasbeenvictimizedby crimeorsocialdisorder;

incidents

in

which

a

call

is

received

by

police

for

any

reasona

crime

in

progress

perhapsanditturnsoutthatthepersoninvolvedisdisplayingsignsofamentalillness;

incidentsinwhichthePMImightbetakenintocustodyforhis/herownprotection;and socialcontacts(thosesituationsinwhichmentallyillpeoplewithlittleinthewayof

socialorcommunitysupportcometorelyonthepoliceorthe911lineasfriends).

Cotton(2004)commentedonthisphenomenoninherresearchrelatedtointeractions

betweenthe

police

and

PMI:

Whengovernmentscontemplatethedeinstitutionalizationandcommunityintegrationofindividualswithmentalillnesses,avarietyofcommunitysupportsandservicesareconsideredessentialanddeveloped(toagreaterorlesserextent).Butonecommunityagencywhichhasbeensignificantlyaffectedbythedownsizingofpsychiatrichospitalsisthepolice,rarelyagroupconsideredtobeacommunitymentalhealthservice.Thepolicehavebeendescribedasdefactomentalhealthprovidersandthefrontlineextensionofthementalhealthsystem.ThereremainslittledoubtthatcontactsbetweenthepoliceandthosewithmentalillnesseshaveincreasedsignificantlyasmoreandmoreindividualsexperiencingmentalillnessesareresidingoutsidethehospitalandwithinthecommunityThereasonsarecomplexandnotaltogetherclear.Tosomeextentofcourse,themerepresenceofmoreindividualswithmentalillnessesinthecommunitywillincreasecontact.Thereisalsoevidencethatthementallyillareatsignificantlyincreasedriskofbeingvictimsofcrime,giventheirvulnerabilityThequestionofincreasedriskofviolentbehaviouramongthosewithmentalillnessesremainscontroversial

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tosomeextent,althoughitappearsclearthatindividualswhoarenotproperlytreatedandwhoabusesubstancesareindeedatincreasedrisk.Ithasbeennotedthatthearrestrateofthosewithmentalillnessesishigherthanthatofothers,buthowmuchofthisisattributabletoanactualincreaseincriminalorviolentbehaviourandhowmuchisattributabletothephenomenondescribedasthecriminalizationofthementallyillisnotclearHowever,regardlessofwhetherthecontactsbetweenthepoliceandindividualswithmentalillnessesareattributabletoincreasedviolence,increasedvictimizationoratendencytocriminalize,whatisclearisthatthenumbersaregoingup.

Intheyearssincethatstatementwaspublished,thesituationhasbecomeevenclearer. The

recent(2008)studyLostinTranslationconductedbytheVancouverPolicesuggestedahigh

percentageoftheircallsoverathirdinsomepartsoftheirjurisdictioninvolvedpeople

withmentalillnesses. Adetailedanalysisofallpoliceoccurrencereportsin2005inthemuch

smallerjurisdictionofBelleville,Ontario(populationapproximately45,000)revealedamuch

lowerpercentageoftheircallsinvolvedPMIonlyabout6%(BellevillePoliceService,2007).

However,even6%representsasignificantcommitmentofpoliceresourcesandtime. Studies

inLondon,Ontario(Handfordetal,2005)haveindicatedthatPMIaretwotothreetimesmore

likelytohaveinteractionswithpolicethanarepeoplewithoutamentalillness. Publicationsby

theBritishColumbiabranchoftheCanadianMentalHealthAssociationestimate715%of

police

calls

involve

people

with

mental

illnesses.

In

most

cases,

PMI

who

encounter

police

seemtodosomorethanonce. Inallcases,thereissignificantconcernaboutensuringthe

officersinvolvedareinformedandskilledininteractingwithpeoplewhomaybeexperiencing

mentalhealthissues.

WhilethenumberofinteractionsacrossCanadabetweenpoliceandPMIisdifficultto

determinegiventhemannerinwhichpolicekeeptheirrecords,thepotentialnumberof

interactions

is

staggering

based

on

an

estimation

derived

from

previous

research.

For

instance,

evenifoneacceptsthelowerproportionsuggestedbytheBellevilleresearch,which

determinedthatonaverageafirstresponder/patrolofficerwillencounterabout40PMIeach

year,andassumingabouthalfofCanadaspoliceofficersarefrontlineorfirstresponders,

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therearelikelyabout1.3millionsuchinteractionseachyear.1 Thisaloneprovidescompelling

supportforensuringthatpolicearetrainedandeducatedinthismatteratleastatthebasic

traininglevel.

Whilesomeinteractionsresultinatragedythatgarnerssubstantialmediaattention,the

majorityofsuchinteractionsarefortunatelyresolvedsuccessfully. AstudybyColemanand

Cotton(2005)forexample,indicatedthatinthetenyearperiod19922002inclusive,there

wereonlyelevensituationsacrossCanadainwhichapersonwithamentalillnessdiedinan

interactionwiththepolice. However,elevensuchsituationsisclearlyeleventoomany! In

coroners/medicalexaminersinquestsintothesedeaths,themostcommonrecommendation

wasforimproved,ormore,policetrainingwithrespecttohowtoworkwithpersonswitha

mentalillness.

And,indeed,trainingandeducationhasbeenoccurring. Anecdotalinformationsuggeststhat

therehasbeenadramaticincreaseinbothatthebasiclevelandatthelevelofinservice

traininginthelastseveralyears. Butwhatisapparentisthatthereisnocommonlyaccepted

standardnocommoncurriculum.

Thisraises,ofcourse,thequestion:Whatdopoliceofficersneedtoknow? Althoughthe

answerissimplisticinthatessentiallypoliceofficersneedtoknowenoughtobeabletodo

theirjobs,weneedtobemorespecific. Itisreasonabletosuggestthattheyshouldatleast

knowenoughabout:

thesignsandsymptomsofmentalillnesstobeabletorecognizeapersonwithamentalillnesswhentheyencounterone;

thenormalpoliceproceduresthatwouldtypicallydisarmaperson,stabilizethesituationorleadtocooperationmayhavetheoppositeeffectonapersonwhoisina

mentalhealthcrisis;

1ThisfigureisbasedontheStatisticsCanadaestimatethattherewere64,134policeofficersinCanadain2007.

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howtomakeinformeddecisionsregardingwhentoapprehend,whentoarrest,whentodivert,whentoseekadditionalinput;

aboutmentalillnesstomakesomekindofassessmentabouthowmuchcontroltheindividualislikelytohaveofhis/herbehavior;

whetheritislikelythatthePMIiscapableofunderstandingandrespondingtotheirdirections;

beingcomfortablewithdefusingandcalmingtechniques beingabletoassesssuiciderisk; beingfamiliarenoughwithmentalhealthlegislationtotakeappropriateaction; beingawareofmentalhealthagenciesandoptions,andwhotocallforconsultation,

andassistance;

beingawareofthestigmaandbiaswithwhichmostpeopleincludingboththepublicandthepoliceapproachpeoplewithmentalillnesses.

Indeed,mostcurrentpolicetraining/educationprogramsinCanadalikelyreflectmanyifnotall

ofthesegoalstoatleastsomeextent. Thisissupportedbyacursoryreviewofthecontentof

somepolicetrainingmanualssuchasthoseoftheOntarioPoliceCollege,CalgaryPoliceand

Montgomery(Md)

Police

in

the

US.

This

review

suggests

that

training

includes:

signsandsymptomsofmajormentalillnesses; indicationsforthepresenceofsubstanceabuse; effectsofstress; assessingsuicidalintent; behaviouralmanagementstrategies; applicationofmentalhealthlaw;and accessingservices.

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Notwithstandingthis,thepurposeofthisstudywastodeterminewhatisactuallydeliveredat

theCanadianpoliceacademies2withaviewtowarddeterminingthestrengthsandgaps,and

makingsuggestionsforbestpracticesatthebasictraininglevel. Itisintendedthatthis

informationwillprovideguidanceforthedesignanddeliveryofmoreadvancedinservice

training.

MethodsThereare13policeacademies/collegesinCanadawhichprovidebasictraining/educationto

newpoliceofficers. Academiesareeithernational(asinthecaseoftheRCMP),provincialor

regional(OntarioPoliceCollege,AtlanticPoliceAcademy,SaskatchewanPoliceCollegeandthe

JusticeInstituteofBritishColumbia)orundertheauspicesofaparticularpoliceservice(RNC,

Halifax,Winnipeg,Brandon,Calgary,Lethbridge,andEdmonton). InQuebec,aslightlydifferent

modeliseffectwherebyallpolicecandidatesmustfirstobtainacollegeleveldiplomafroma

CEGEP3programbeforeattendingtheprovincialacademy. Albertasschemeischanging. Itis

anticipatedthatthetraining/educationcurrentlydeliveredindividuallybyEdmonton,Calgary,

andLethbridgewillbereplacedinthefuturebytraining/educationdevelopedcentrallybythe

AlbertaSolicitorGeneral. (Theproposedcurriculumforthemoduleonworkingwithpeople

with

mental

illnesses

is

included

in

this

survey,

although

at

the

time

of

writing,

this

module

was

notyetoperational.) Somepoliceservices(suchasTorontoPoliceServiceandtheOPP

Academy)requirethatnewcandidatesfirstattendaprovincialorregionalacademythen

participateinadditionaltrainingspecifictothatservice. InothercasesOPPandToronto

Policethepoliceserviceoperatesitsownacademybutnewpoliceofficersfirstattendthe

OntarioPoliceCollege(OPC). Finally,somejurisdictions(e.g.Quebec,RNC)requirespecific

prerequisiteeducationbeforeacandidatecanbeacceptedintothepoliceserviceorattendthe

academy.

2 Policeacademyinthecontextofthisstudyincludesalllearninginstitutionsoperatedinternallybypolice

agenciesand/ortheprovincialorfederalgovernmentsonbehalfofpoliceagenciesforthepurposeofprovingbasicandinservicetrainingtopoliceofficersandpoliceemployees.3CEGEPreferstoCollged'enseignementgnraletprofessionnel,meaning"CollegeofGeneralandVocationalEducation". Generally,thisisequivalenttoacommunitycollege

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Forthepurposesofthisstudy,questionnairesweredistributedtothefollowing

colleges/academies:

RoyalNewfoundlandConstabulary AtlanticPoliceAcademyPEI HalifaxRegionalPolice coleNationaledeQubec JohnAbbotCEGEP(asarepresentativeoftheCEGEPsysteminQuebec) OntarioPoliceCollege(OPC) OntarioProvincialPolice TorontoPoliceService WinnipegPoliceService BrandonPoliceService SaskatchewanPoliceCollege RCMPAcademy CalgaryPoliceService AlbertaSolicitorGeneral LethbridgePolice EdmontonPoliceService JusticeInstituteofBritishColumbia(JIBC).

Eachacademy/collegewasaskedtorespondtoaseriesofquestionsabout:

thenumberofhoursoftraining/educationrelatedspecificallytoworkingwithPMI; thenatureandcontentofsuchtraining/education,andthetopicscovered; theteachingmodalitiesemployedandtypesofpersonnelinvolved;and othercourses,modulesandpartsofthecurriculuminwhichthetopicofinteracting

withPMImaybeaddressed.

Oncetheinitialresponseswereobtained,followupinterviewswereconductedtoobtain

additionalinformationandclarificationasnecessary.

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Responseswereobtainedfromalltheacademies/collegeslisted. However,theToronto

PoliceServiceandtheOPPAcademyreportedthat,asnoted,theirbasictrainingoccursat

OPCandthustheydonotprovideadditionalbasictraining/educationinthisareatotheir

ownnewofficers.

Results1. DoCanadianpoliceacademiesgenerallyprovidetrainingspecifictoworkingwithpeoplewithmentalillness?

TheanswertothisquestionwasaresoundingYES.AllnewpoliceofficersinCanadacurrentlyreceiveatleastminimaltraininginthisarea. Alltrainingprogramsindicatedthattraininginthisareaiscurrentlyanintegralpartoftheirbasictraining.

2. Howmuchtraining/educationarenewpoliceofficersreceiving?Newpoliceofficerstypicallyreceiveinformationrelatedtoworkingwithpeoplewithmental

illnessesthroughtwochannels. First,theremightbecurriculumspecificallyaddressingthe

topic

or

second,

there

may

be

reference

to

working

with

people

with

mental

illnesses

in

the

contextofothercourses,suchasinuseofforcetraining.

Asnotedabove,allbasictrainingprogramsstudiedincludeacomponentspecificallyrelatedto

workingwithPMI. Thenumberofhours,however,variesdramatically,fromonlyonehour

(Lethbridge)to24hours(Edmonton).

Fourprogramsprovidefivehoursorless:Lethbridge(1);Brandon(3),RCMP(4),JIBC(5). OPCprovides7hoursandCalgaryprovides7.5hours. RNC,Halifax,Winnipeg,andSaskatchewan,deliverbetween10and20hours. EdmontonandtheAtlanticPoliceAcademyprovideover20hours.

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However,inaddition,mostacademiesalsoincludeinformationaboutpeoplewithmental

illnessesinavarietyofothercoursesormodules. Mostcommonly,respondentsindicatedthat

thisinformationisincludedin:

useofforce(6programs); trainingrelatedtoconductedenergyweapons(4); tacticalcommunications(3); law,provincialstatutesandbylaws(3); firearms(2);and officersafety(2).

Respondentscited

the

following

police

academy

courses

that

include

information

related

to

mentalhealthissues.

Sociology Crisisresolution Civiliandiversity Incustodydeaths Statementadmissibility Interviewingandinterrogation Forensicinterviewing Managingthepolicefunction Communitypolicing Criminaljusticesystem Exciteddelirium Incidentmanagement Careandhandingofprisoners Suicideinterventions Controltactics Callsimulation Verbaljudo

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Legalstudies Trafficviolatorbehaviour

Trainingprogramsareofcourseconfigureddifferentlyfromoneorganizationtoanother,and

whatisincludedinonecourseinoneacademymightnotbeincludedelsewhereinanother

programatanotheracademy. Thus,thebestestimateoftotaltrainingrelatedtomentalillness

mightbeobtainedbysummingthenumberofhoursspentonthetopicbothdirectlyand

indirectlythroughothercourses. Thisapproachsuggeststhatthetotalnumberofhoursvaries

from5to30.

However,

it

is

also

worth

noting

that

a

simple

tally

of

the

number

of

hours

involved

does

not

necessarilyaccuratelyrepresenttheamountoftrainingthatanewofficerreceives.Thisis

particularlythecaseinacademiesinwhichtrainingdeviatesfromthetypicalacademicformat

thatisusedinmostcases.ThenumberofhoursprovidedinQuebecforexampleisvariableand

difficulttodetermine. LcoleNationaleexpectsthatthistypeofeducationisprovidedinthe

CEGEPprograms.Itlogicallycorrespondswithanumberoftherequiredcompetenciesincluding

interactionwithdistinctiveclienteles,adaptingtheprinciplesandbasictechniquesof

communication

to

the

context,

and

working

in

partnership

with

different

community

resources.4 However,therearenocompetenciesthatspecificallyaddressinteractionswith

PMI.

TheRCMPAcademyalsoprovidesaslightlydifferentapproachinthatitemploysanintegrated,

problembasedlearning(PBL)methodologyinthedesignofthecurriculumfortheCadet

TrainingProgram. InthePBLcurriculum,cadetslearnbysolvingproblemsthroughresearch

andinformation

gathering,

and

group

problem

solving

exercises

supplemented

by

lecture

and/ordemonstrationperformance,asappropriate.Casestudiesprovidelearning

opportunitiesinwhichcadetscanintegratetheknowledgeandskillsnecessarytomanagereal

policesituationsinamannerconsistentwiththedirectionsandprioritiesoftheRCMP.Rather

4Thisisnotanexhaustivelistoftherelevantcompetenciesbutratherprovidesasampleoftheareasinwhichthesubjectofmentalillnessmaybecovered

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thanbeinginstructedonaparticularcontentarea,cadetslearntoapplyallcontentareas

relatedtoaparticulartypeofincidentorsituation. Thus,whiletherearefourhoursofspecific

contentrelatedtomentalillnessinthetraining,therearemanyotherhoursintegratedintothe

scenarios.Forexample,cadetsmustworktheirwaythroughacaseinvolvingasuicidalclientin

essentiallyrealtime.

AsisthecaseinQuebec,therearenospecificcompetenciesidentifiedbytheRCMPAcademy

thatarespecifictomentalillness.Therearehoweveranumberofcompetenciesthatmaywell

reflectknowledgeandskillsinthisareaforexample:

respondingsensitivelyto,andworkinginpartnershipwith,diversecitizens

and

communities;

demonstratinganunderstandingof,andsensitivity,todifferencesinhandlingdiversesituationsand/orinteractingwithpeople;and

usingacalm,reasonable,supportiveapproachtodemonstratesensitivitytothepsychologicalstateofvictim.5

3. Whattechniquesareusedtoteachthematerialdescribedabove?Of

the

14

institutions

that

responded

and

provide

basic

training,

thirteen usealectureformat(oneiscompletelyonline); sixemployroleplays; eightusesimulations; four incorporateonlinematerial; twohavepeoplewithmentalillnessesinvolvedinthetraining; eighthavepresentationsbymentalhealthprofessionals; fivehavepresentationsbymentalhealthorganizationssuchastheSchizophrenia

Society,theCanadianMentalHealthAssociationorlocalmentalhealthagencies;and

fiveutilizevideosorfilms.

5Similarly,thisisnotanexhaustivelistoftheareasincurriculuminwhichmentalillnessmaybeaddressed

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4. Forhowmanyyearshavepoliceservicesbeenincludingthissubjectmatterintheirbasictraining?

Itisapparentfromthestudythatanumberofpoliceacademieshavebeenofferingsome

traininginthisareasincethelate1970sbutinothercasestrainingwasinitiatedasrecentlyas

2005. Specifically,

fiveservicesofferedsuchtrainingpriorto1990; threebegantraininginthe1990s;and fivehavebeentraininginthisareasince2000orlater.

(The

centralized

Alberta

Solicitor

General

program

is

not

yet

operational

and

as

noted

earlier

willlikelyreplaceotherAlbertabasedtraining).

5.Whatspecificallyisincludedinthecontentofthiscoursework?Giventhattheamountoftimespecificallydevotedtothistopicvariesfromoneto24hoursand

totaltrainingvariesfromfiveto30hours,itcanreasonablybeconcludedthatthereisa

substantialvariationincontent. Sincecourseoutlineswerenotprovidedbyallacademies,each

wasasked

to

identify

whether

the

topics

mentioned

earlier

in

this

paper

as

key

components

of

trainingwereaddressedintheirtraining.

Respondentswereprovidedwithalistoftopicsandaskedwhethertheyprovided

(a)thoroughordetailedcoverageofthetopic,

(b)somelimitedcoverage,or

(c)thetopicisnotaddressedatall.

Resultsindicatehowmanyacademiesaddresseachofthefollowingareas(11academies

providedenoughinformationtobeincludedinthispartoftheanalysis).

thestigmaofmentalillnessa.7

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b.4

recognizingthesignsandsymptomsofmentalillnessa.8b.3

understandingmajorpsychiatricdisorderssuchasschizophrenia,bipolardisorder,Alzheimersdiseasea.7b.4

verbalcommunicationstrategiesforinteractingwithpeoplewithmentalillnessesa.11

mentalillnessanddangerousnessa.

8b.2

c.1

dealingwithaggressioninpeoplewithmentalillnessa.9b.1c.1

interactingwithpeoplewhoarehallucinatingordelusionala.8b.

2

c.1

effectiverelationshipswiththementalhealthsystema.5b.3c.3

effectiverelationshipswiththeemergencyroom(asrelatestopeoplewithmentalillnesses)

a.4

b.4c.2

suicideinterventionsa.10c.1

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apprehensionsunderamentalhealthacta.8b.2c.1

useofforceandalternativeswithpeoplewithmentalillnessesa.8b.3

mentalhealthlawa.8b.2c.1

mental

disorder

provisions

under

the

Criminal

Code

(e.g.

NCR,

fitness

etc)

a.6b.4c.1

specialpoliceprogramsandservicesforpeoplewithmentalillnessesa.4b.7

victimprecipitatedhomicide(AKAsuicidebycop)a.8b.2

c.1

workingwithfamiliesofpeoplewithmentalillnessesa.3b.6c.1

exciteddeliriuma.9

b.2

incidentmanagementwhenapersonwithamentalillnessisinvolveda.5b.3c.3

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Itisdifficulttodrawconclusionsfromthesedataastheyaresubjectiveandthenumberof

academies/collegesistoosmalltowarrantanystatisticalanalyses. Notwithstandingthe

demandsforawiderangeoftrainingandeducationintotalfornewpoliceofficersand

consequenttimedemandsonthebasictrainingcurriculum,itappearsthatpoliceacademies

(andthuspoliceservices)haveverydifferentideasaboutwhatisadequateorextensive

coverageforaddressingpoliceandtheirinteractionswithPMI. Forinstance,somepolice

academiesthatincludemanyhoursofpolice/mentalhealthtrainingindicatedtheyhadonly

limitedcoverageofagiventopicwhileotherswhohadveryfewhoursindicatedextensive

coverageofmanytopics. Surprisingly,oneacademywhichprovidesamongthefewesthoursof

trainingintotalindicatedthatitcoveredallofthesetopicsinsomedetail!

However,eventakingtheselimitationsintoconsideration,thesedatadoprovideuswithsome

usefulinformation. Theytelluswhichtopicsaregenerallyrecognizedbyacademiesas

essential. Forexample,virtuallyallprogramsaddressverbalstrategies,dealingwithaggression

andsuicide. Mostalsocoverthebasicsofsymptomologysuchasexciteddelirium,mental

healthlaw,dangerousnessanduseofforceoptions. However,thedataalsoindicatethatin

somecases,thereislimitedcoverageandthusunderstandingoftheissuesasitissimplynot

possible

to

cover

these

topics

in

the

times

reported.

DiscussionAtpresent,accordingtothisstudyallpoliceacademiesinCanadathatprovidebasicpolice

officertrainingdeliveratleastaminimalintroductiontoissuesrelatedtoworkingwithpeople

withmentalillnesses. Includingcontentrelatedtopeoplewithmentalillnessesinthebasic

trainingcurriculum,regardlessofthelengthandcontent,helpstosendaclearmessageto

officers

in

training

that

this

is

indeed

an

integral

and

important

part

of

police

work.

While

todaythismayseemobvious,anecdotallyasrecentlyastheearly2000sthereremained

significantdebateaboutwhetherworkingwithpeoplewithmentalillnesses(PMI)waseven

appropriatelyconsideredaspartofapoliceofficersrole. Itappearsthatquestionhaslikely

beenputtorest.

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However,mostofficerswillhavehadfewerthan10hoursoftraining/educationwhileatpolice

academyfortheirbasictraining,andmanyofthosewhobegantheircareersbefore2000will

nothavehadthistrainingatallwhiletheywereatthepoliceacademy. Whilesomeacademies

havebeenincludingsuchtrainingintheircurriculumsince1974,fewerthanhalfweredoingso

eventenyearsago.

Asnoted,thenumberofhoursoftrainingthatareprovidedisvariable. Insomecases,the

inclusionisbrief,lastingonlyafewhoursorevenless. Whilethatmightbeasufficientperiod

oftimetobegintosensitizenewofficerstothefactthatsomeofthepeopletheyinteractwith

mighthaveamentalillness,itislikelyinsufficienttoteachthespecificskillsnecessarytobe

effective,norsufficienttoaddresstheessentialissuesofstigma,biasandpersonalattitudes.

Howmanyhoursisenough? Thereisnoempiricallybasedanswertothatquestion. Thereisno

researchthatindicateswhetheradditionaltraining/educationleadstobetteroutcomesinthis

areaandindeeditwouldbenavetosuggestthatthereissuchadirectlinkbetweenhoursof

trainingandspecificskills. However,policeacademiesdohaveanobligationtoprovide

essential

knowledge

and

skills,

so

the

question

becomes:

how

long

would

it

take

to

adequately

covertheessentialareasandwhataretheessentialareas?

Itisinformativetolookattheindustrystandardoftrainingforprogramssuchasmental

healthCrisisInterventionTeams.6 Theseprogramsaretypically40hoursinduration,and

producewhatareconsideredspecializedofficerswithexpertiseinmentalhealthrelated

issues. Ithasbeenarguedthatifapoliceserviceordetachmentdoesnothavespecially

designated

and

trained

officers

available

as

a

resource,

then

ALL

officers

need

a

higher

level

of

traininginthisarea. Whileitappearsunrealistictoexpectanacademytoprovideafull40

hoursatthebasicintroductorylevel,itdoesmeanthatacademiesmightalsoneedtotakeinto

6TheCITmodel,oftencalledtheMemphismodel,involvesapoliceservicehavingacomplementofhighlytrained

specialistofficerswhoactasaresourcetootherofficers,attendmanymentalhealthrelatedcalls,andliaisewiththementalhealthsystem.

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considerationthegeographicalareasinwhichtheirofficerswilleventuallypolicewhen

consideringtheappropriateamountoftraining. Forexample,itmeansthatservicessuchasthe

RCMPandOPP,whichprovidepolicingtomanysmallerandremoteareaswithlittleintheway

ofcommunityresources,mighthavetoprovidemoretrainingthanperhapsEdmontonwhere

dedicatedmentalhealthteamsandspecializedservicesareavailable. Manyservicesrelyon

provincialorregionalacademiesandthusthespecifictrainingmaynotbeentirelyadequatefor

localpurposes.ThesituationinBritishColumbiaexemplifiesthat.

IfthedataintherecentLostinTransitionstudyarereliedon,onemightsurmisethatthe

VancouverPolicespendmoretimewithpeoplewithmentalillnessesthanwouldsomeother

policeinBCorelsewhere. Thus,forexample,VancouverPolicemightneedtosupplementthe

basicJIBCtraining,evenatthenewofficerlevel.

Whilecontentisofcourseimportant,soisthemethodoftransferringknowledge. Withthe

exceptionofonecourse(notyetinoperation),alltrainingreportedincludesalargelecture

component. Inafewinstances,alltheteachingisdeliveredinalectureformat. Thisisof

coursenotideal,asadultlearningprincipleswouldsuggestthatskillsarenotbesttaughtor

assessed

through

this

medium.

Training

at

most

academies

includes

some

role

play

or

simulationbutatfiveacademies,thisisnotthecase. Itisalsoapparentthatfewacademies

(onlyfour)aremakinguseofonlineresources. Similarly,onlyfiveacademiesmakeuseoffilms

orvideostosupplementtraining. Again,giventhewealthofresourcesavailable,thisis

unfortunate.AttheoppositeextremeistheRCMPAcademywhichincludesrelativelylittle

formallecturematerialinthisareabutreliesheavilyonproblembasedlearning(PBL)andthe

useofrealtimescenarios.

However,probablythemostglaringgapintrainingandeducationnationallyisthatonlytwo

academiesinvolveapersonindeliveryoftheirtrainingwhoactuallyhasamentalillness. The

researchliteratureindicatesthatexposuretoapersonwithamentalillnessisprobablythe

mostpowerfultoolavailableforchangingattitudestowardmentalillness. Whileitisbeyond

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thescopeofthisstudytoexaminethisindetail,itisalsoworthnotingthattheexclusionofthe

verypeoplewhoarerecipientsofthepoliceinteractionsbeingtaughtiscontrarytoboth

contemporarypolicingmodelsandcurrentmentalhealthtreatmentmodels. Inclusionof

peoplewithmentalillnessesinthetrainingdeliverynotonlyprovidesaricheducationtothe

policeofficersbutalsosendsamessagetothoseindividualsandagenciesinthecommunity

whoworkwithpeoplewithmentalillnessesthatpoliceareactivelyinvolvedinthisareaand

workingfromacommunityintegrationmodel.

Notsurprisingly,manyacademiesalsodonotincludeeithermentalhealthagenciesormental

healthprofessionalsintheirtraining(fiveof14havepresentationsbymentalhealthagencies;

eightof14includementalhealthprofessionals). Theissueofincludingmentalhealthagencies

iscomplex. Ifoneacceptsthecontentionthatoneofthepurposesoftraininginthisareaisto

improvecoordinationandcooperationbetweenpoliceagenciesandmentalhealthsystems,

thenitisessentialthatnewofficershaveachancetointeractwithmentalhealthprofessionals

andseetheminaconstructivelight. (Formanypoliceofficers,theironlyreallifeexposureto

amentalhealthprofessionalwillbeinthecontextofapreemploymentpsychologicalscreening

hardlyacontextthatengenderspositivefeelings. Otherwise,they,likethepublic,may

associate

mental

health

professionals

with

white

coats,

butterfly

nets

and

couches

obviously

agrosslyinaccuratepicture.)

Fromapositiveperspective,thereseemstobeconsensuswithrespecttothemostimportant

areasthatneedtobecoveredintraining. Asnotedearlier,mostprogramsaddressverbal

strategies,suicidalideationandissuesrelatedtosignsandsymptoms. Howevernotall

programscovertheseareas. Ifoneacceptsthetenetthatbeingabletorecognizewhena

person

has

a

mental

illness

is

important

if

not

essential,

then

it

is

concerning

that

some

programsdonotaddresssymptoms,introducethemajordiagnosticcategoriesortalkabout

howtointeractwithapersonexperiencingpsychoticsymptoms.

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BestPractices/EmergingTrendsUnfortunately,thereisnotyetanyempiricallysupportablewaytodefineabestpracticeor

determinewhatmethodsofinstructionaremosteffectiveinthecontextofpoliceandtheir

interactionwithPMI. Buttheinformationgleanedinthepresentstudydoeshighlightsome

processeswhichatleasthavethepotentialofleadingtheway. Theseinclude:

EdmontonPoliceServiceEdmontonappearstoprovidethemosthoursoftraining/education,whichisa24hourcourse.

Itisalsolinkedandincludespresentationsbytheirpoliceservicesmentalhealthjointresponse

teamstodevelopfamiliaritywiththoseservices.

RoyalNewfoundlandConstabulary(RNC)TheRNCprovides16hoursofdirectbasictrainingandincludesnotonlylecturesandroleplays,

butalsoincludespresentationsbyPMI,mentalhealthprofessionalsandmentalhealth

organizations. Inaddition,theirprogramislinkedwiththePoliceStudiesProgramatMemorial

Universitywherestudentswillhavecompletedatotaloffourpsychologycourses(including

forensicpsychologyandabnormalpsychology). Inaddition,furtheralongintheirtraining,

cadets

complete

ASIST

7

suicide

intervention

training

(2

days),

one

day

related

to

fetal

alcohol

spectrumdisordersand2daysofaseminarentitledChangingMinds. Recently,newofficers

havealsocompletedtheonlinetrainingmoduleofferedbytheCanadianPoliceKnowledge

Network.8 ItmaybethattheRNCiscurrentlysettingthestandardinthisarea.

AtlanticPoliceAcademy(APA)Inadditiontoprovidingagenerallycomprehensivecurriculumof18hourswhichincludesa

variety

of

formats

including

lecture,

role

plays,

and

extensive

use

of

various

media,

this

programincludesbothpeoplewithmentalillnessesandmentalhealthprofessionals. Thereis

7ASISTistheacronymforAppliedSuicideInterventionSkillsTraining,awelldevelopedandwidelyusedapproach

toteachingskillsrelatedtoworkingwithsuicidalpeople.8Thisisa2hourcoursedevelopedbytheDalhousieUniversityDepartmentofPsychiatryandentitledRecognition

ofEmotionallyDisturbedPersons

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alsoauniqueempathylabcomponentwhichrequirestheofficerstospendtimeinthe

communityatasocialserviceagencyandthusinteractwithpeoplewithmentalillnessesina

realworldsituation.

OntarioPoliceCollege(OPC)OPChasdevelopedprobablythemostcomprehensivewrittenmaterialonworkingwithPMI

(Notjustanothercall),whichprovidesofficerswithareadyresourcebothwhileatthe

academyandlaterintheirwork.

JusticeInstituteofBritishColumbia(JIBC)PIIMIC9throughtheJIBCwebsiteisacomprehensiveonlinesourceofinformationabout

mentalillness,legislationandrelatedmatters.

AlbertaItisalsoworthnotingthesubstantialworkcompletedbytheOfficeoftheAlbertaSolicitor

General,whichincludesanoutstandingonlinecourse. However,itisnotyetoperationalandas

ofyetisnotpartofanybasicpoliceofficerleveltraining.

FuturedirectionsTheinformationabovelargelydescribesthesituationasitiscurrently. Thisinevitablyleadsto

thequestionofwherethingsshouldbegoing. Therearemanyideasthatemergefromthedata

andtheyarepresentedherefordiscussionpurposes.

Policeacademiesmaywanttostriveforthetypeofcomprehensivetrainingthatiscurrently

offered

by

the

RNC

and

the

Atlantic

Police

Academy

which

includes

not

only1618hoursofdirectbasictrainingrelatedtoworkingwithpeoplewithmental

illnesses,butalsoincludesavarietyoflearningmediums,directcontactwithboth

peoplewithmentalillnessesandmentalhealthprofessionals.

9PIIMICstandsforPoliceInterventionInMentalIllnessCrisis

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TheCACPHumanResourcesCommittee,throughitssubcommitteeCanadianAssociationofPoliceEducators(CAPE),maywanttoconsiderworkingwithpolice

academiestodeveloporencourageacommoncorecurriculumincludingreading

lists,andonlinematerialstomakeuseofsomeofthemanyoutstandingresources

thathavebeendevelopedandavoidduplicationofefforts.

Thereisgeneralacceptancethatinformationrelatedtomentalillnessisbestcoveredwhenitisintegratedinmultipletrainingcourses,seminarsormodules.

Thesehourscouldbedistributedbetweenfocusedsessionsdealingexclusivelywith

mental

illness,

or

incorporated

into

other

course

work

(e.g.

use

of

force,

provincial

statutes)aswellasbeingthesubjectofproblembasedlearningexperiences(PBL).

Italsoseemsappropriatethatthecurriculumshould,ataminimum,addresstherangeoftopicsdescribedearlierinthispaper,sincevirtuallyallofthesetopicsare

eithertacitlyendorsedbythemajorityofacademiesorhavebeenidentifiedin

Coroners/MedicalExaminersreportsasbeingrelevant.

PoliceagenciesorpoliceacademieswhichrelyonexternalprerequisitetrainingoutsidetheiracademysuchasisthesituationinQuebecmaywanttoensure

thattrainingrelatedtoworkingwithPMIisspecificallyidentifiedinexternalcourse

contentandidentifiedasaspecificcompetencetoavoidthepossibilityof

inconsistencyfromoneprogramtoanother.

Similarly,academieswhichtakeamorecompetencybasedandproblemfocusedapproachsuchastheRCMPAcademymaywanttodevelopgoalsandcompetencies

whichspecificallyidentifyissuesrelatedtoworkingwithpeoplewithmentalillness

toensurethatalltheprimarygoalsrelatedtothisclientgroupareindeedcovered.

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Alltrainingprogramsshouldideallyincludepresentationsby,andinteractionswith,peoplewhoareactuallylivingwithamentalillnessandtheirfamiliesaswellas

presentationsbymentalhealthprofessionals.

Individualpoliceservicesmaywanttopayspecialattentiontothedegreeandnatureoftrainingprovidedbytheirrespectiveacademiessothatitcanbe

supplementedasnecessarybytheirpoliceservice(e.g.policeofficerswhoare

trainedprovinciallyregionallyornationallywillnothavelearnedaboutlocal

resourcesorinteragencyagreements) Policeserviceswhichrelyoncentralized

trainingas(opposedtoinhousetraining)shouldbewellacquaintedwiththenature

and

extent

of

the

relevant

academys

training

in

this

area

so

that

appropriate

additionaltrainingcanbeprovidedlocallyonceacademytrainingiscomplete.

Individualpoliceservicesmayalsowanttoreviewthetrainingoftheircurrentcomplementofofficersbearinginmindtheyearinwhichtheirrespectiveacademy

beganthistrainingandensurethatofficerswhodidnotreceiveacademylevel

traininghaveindeedreceivedtrainingspecifictothisareasincethattime.

Considerationmightbegiventoprovidingadditionalspecializedtrainingtoofficersbeforebeingpostedtoremoteareas. Policeservicesinwhichasignificant

percentageofofficersarepostedtoremoteareasmaywanttoincreasethenumber

ofhoursprovidedatthebasictraininglevelinordertoaccommodatethis.

AfinalthoughtThis

review

only

addresses

training

and

education

which

occurs

at

the

academy/college

level.

Obviously,learningonlystartsthereandtheissueofwhatongoingeducationandlearning

occursastheofficeradvancesisequallyimportant. Ideally,apoliceservicescurriculumrelated

tounderstandingmentalillnesswilltakeintoaccountboththetrainingandeducationthatthe

newofficerreceivesattheacademy,andthetrainingopportunitiesthatariseonces/heison

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theroad. Thisreportdoesnotaddressinservicetrainingdirectly,10butdoesacknowledge

thatitisanequallyimportantpartofthelearningprocess,andthatacademylearningneedsto

bedevelopedbearinginmindthenatureandextentoffuturelearningopportunities. Indeed,it

canbearguedthatfewnewofficerscomeintopolicingwiththeexpectationofdealing

extensivelywithpeoplewithmentalillnesses,andthatoverexposuretothetopicmight

actuallyhaveanegativeratherthanpositiveeffectonnewofficers. Inanidealworld,basic

trainingwouldbelinkeddirectlytoongoinginserviceeducation,whichmightprovidejunior

officerswiththeskillstheyneedinthisareaatatimewhentheyaremostlikelytoappreciate

them.

Forfurtherinformationorinquiriesaboutthissurvey,[email protected]

Weextendsincereappreciationtothestaffateachpoliceacademyandpolicecollegewhotookthetimetorespondmorethanoncetoourinquiriesaboutthenatureandextentofthetraining/educationtheydeliverinthisarea.

10IssuesrelatedtoinserviceandadvancedpatroltrainingrelatedtoPMIwillbethesubjectofafuturereport.

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ReferencesBellevillePoliceService.(2007).PoliceInteractionswithEmotionalDisturbed/MentallyIll

People:AComprehensiveReviewandAnalysis.Belleville,Ontario:BellevillePoliceService.

CanadianMentalHealthAssociation,BritishColumbiaDivision.(n.d.)MentalHealthandtheCriminalJusticeSystem.Retrievedfromhttp://www.cmha.bc.ca/advocacy/justiceOctober,2008.

Coleman,T.&Cotton,D. (2005).AStudyofFatal InteractionsbetweenCanadianPoliceandMentally Ill Persons. Presented at the International Association of Law and MentalHealthConference,Paris,France.

Cotton,D. (2004).TheattitudesofCanadianpoliceofficerstowardthementallyill.InternationalJournalofLawandMentalHealth,27,135146.

Hartford,K.,Heslop,L.,Stitt,L.&Hoch,J.(2005).Designofanalgorithmtoidentifypersonswithmentalillnessinapoliceadministrativedatabase.InternationalJournalofLawandPsychiatry28,111.

Hoffman,R.&Putman,L. (2004).NotJustAnotherCall...PoliceResponsetoPersonswithMentalIllnesses.AlymerWest,Ontario:OntarioPoliceCollege

WilsonBates,F. (2008).LostinTransition:howalackofcapacityinthementalhealthsystemisfailingVancouversmentallyillanddrainingpolicingresources. Vancouver,BritishColumbia:

Vancouver

Police

Department.

2008 CACP and Mental Health Commission of Canada

Documents

Transcript of 2008 CACP and Mental Health Commission of Canada