one mind campaign

Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Complete One Mind Campaign Pledge to Better Serve those Suffering from Mental Illness

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department
Todd Fitzgerald, Interim Chief of Police
10 Central Street
Manchester by the Sea, MA 01944

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Complete One Mind Campaign Pledge to Better Serve those Suffering from Mental Illness

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Interim Chief Todd Fitzgerald is pleased to announce that the Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department has completed its pledge through the One Mind Campaign to improve its response to those suffering from mental illness.

In October 2017, the Manchester Police Department pledged to join the One Mind Campaign, an initiative that was started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in an effort to improve the interactions between law enforcement agencies and those with mental illnesses. Departments that pledge to join the campaign are challenged to implement practices within their agency to improve mental health programming, training and procedure within a one to three year time period.

The IACP also provides resources to departments that pledge to join the One Mind Campaign, including a toolkit produced by the Bureau of Justice Assistance with resources for law enforcement agencies looking to partner with mental health providers, a model policy for law enforcement when responding to persons suffering from mental illness, and resources for planning mental health first aid and crisis intervention team program trainings.

“By pledging to this campaign it provided our officers the necessary tools and the ability to take a more proactive approach to helping residents affected by mental illness,” Chief Fitzgerald said.

The Manchester Police Department has implemented several initiatives to improve its mental health relations, including the establishment of a sustainable relationship with Lahey Behavioral Health, the creation and implementation of a model policy to address officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness and mental health awareness and crisis intervention training for all full-time staff.

Manchester Police Sgt. Stephen Louf and Essex Police Sgt. Paul Francis have also organized and spearheaded the creation of an Overdose Outreach Follow-Up Team, comprised of members from both departments as well as Lahey Behavioral Health professionals and representatives from One Stop, a free prevention and screening service based out of Gloucester. The Overdose Outreach Follow-Up Team will meet with residents who have experienced a recent overdose and offer a variety of treatment options for substance abuse recovery.

“We need to take a proactive approach when dealing with mental illness,” Chief Fitzgerald said. “Even though our yearly numbers are small, if we can make a difference in one person’s life, then I feel that this team has done its job.”

The Manchester Police Department received a certificate of completion for fulfilling the goals of its One Mind Pledge from the IACP in May.

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North Reading Police Implement Several Strategies to Address Mental Health and Wellness

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NRPD BADGE

North Reading Police Department
Chief Michael P. Murphy
150 Park St.
North Reading, MA 01864

For Immediate Release

Friday, June 7, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

North Reading Police Implement Several Strategies to Address Mental Health and Wellness

NORTH READING — Chief Michael P. Murphy is pleased to announce that the North Reading Police Department has fulfilled its commitment to improving services for those suffering from mental illness in its community.

By completing the commitment it made under the One Mind pledge, the North Reading Police Department has dramatically increased its capacity for supporting the mental health needs of the residents it serves.

The One Mind Campaign pledge is an initiative spearheaded by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), a 30,000 member professional association for law enforcement that provides training, technical assistance and recruitment services.

To join the One Mind Campaign, law enforcement agencies must pledge to implement four promising practices in a 12-36 month period to ensure successful future interactions between police officers and people with mental illness. North Reading Police first took the One Mind Pledge in 2018

To do so, the North Reading Police established a sustainable partnership with Eliot Community Human Services, developed and implemented a model policy to guide officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness, and ensured that all of its officers received some type of mental health awareness training, with 40 percent of the department completing the more intensive crisis intervention training.

The 40-hour crisis intervention curriculum is designed by local agencies to train a team of specialized officers to respond to calls that involve individuals with mental health disorders, such as depression or intellectual disability. The curriculum includes education on various deescalation techniques as well as live role-play scenarios of officers responding to persons who need mental health assistance.

In addition, the North Reading Police Department has extended its commitment to those affected by mental illness by hiring a full-time mental health clinician who works in collaboration with officers on calls involving a person in crisis.

“Adopting these strategies and practices gives all of our officers a much deeper understanding of the unique challenges experienced by those living with mental illness and prepares them to best communicate with and serve those individuals,” Chief Murphy said. “I’m proud of the commitment and dedication our team showed in first adopting, and now living up to the One Mind Pledge.”

According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will be affected by a mental or neurological disorder at some point in their lives. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that nearly half of Americans suffering from a disorder go untreated. Such disorders, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.

For more information about the One Mind Campaign, please visit the IACP’s website: http://www.theiacp.org/onemindcampaign/. A list of all agencies who have taken the pledge is also available there. For more information about the North Reading Police Department program, please visit their website at nrpd.org.

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Wenham Police Join “One Mind Campaign” to Ensure Positive Interactions with those Affected by Mental Illness

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Wenham Police Patch

Wenham Police Department
Thomas Perkins, Chief of Police
1 Friend Court
PO Box 536
Wenham, MA 01984

For Immediate Release

Monday Oct. 2, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Wenham Joins “One Mind Campaign” to Improve Police Officer Interactions with those Affected by Mental Illness

WENHAM — Chief Thomas Perkins is pleased to announce that he, on behalf of the Wenham Police Department, this month pledged to join the One Mind Campaign, an effort to improve law enforcement interactions with those affected by mental illness.

On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 182 Massachusetts Police Chiefs undertook the
voluntary pledge to join the campaign, which is, sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. (Click here for a video from the IACP.)

The One Mind Campaign seeks to ensure successful interactions between police officers and persons affected by mental illness. To join the campaign, law enforcement agencies must commit to implementing four promising practices over a 12-36 month time frame.

They are:

  • Establish a clearly defined and sustainable partnership with one or more community
    mental health organization(s)
  • Develop and implement a model policy addressing police response to persons affected by mental illness
  • Train and certify 100 percent of your agency’s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers) in Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety (MHFA).
  • Provide Crisis Intervention Team training to a minimum of 20 percent of your agency’s sworn officers (and selected non-sworn staff, such as dispatchers).

In the coming months, the Wenham Police Department will announce the partnerships, policies, and training undertaken by the department and its officers.

Creation of a Crisis Intervention Team is an especially important milestone for police departments, as it includes more than 40 hours of training on vital skills including verbal deescalation, scenario-based training, and personal interactions during training with mental health professionals and with people who have experienced and recovered from mental health crisis and family members who have likewise been affected by mental illness.

According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will be affected by a mental or neurological disorder at some point in their lives. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that nearly half of Americans suffering from a disorder go untreated.  Such disorders, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44

Click here for more information from NAMI. Also, click here for a video about Crisis Intervention Teams.

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