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Illinois State Police giving troopers crisis intervention training

Times - 2/6/2023

Feb. 6—The Illinois State Police is now providing all of its troopers training on how to interact with people with mental health issues in the field.

Starting this month, all officers will undergo 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training. The purpose is to reduce injuries and get people the help they need.

State troopers will be trained on how to work with mental health providers, families and consumer advocates to better understand mental illness.

"Law enforcement officers are often still the first to respond to individuals with mental illness given the limits of crisis mental health services across the country," said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. "ISP's formalized 40-hour training includes intervention tactics and mental health education to ensure all our officers have the tools to help safely manage interactions with persons in mental health crisis."

Officers will lead the training, which will cover different mental illnesses and how to identify them when out in the field. The troopers will learn about mental health laws, available resources and verbal de-escalation tactics when dealing with someone with mental health struggles or facing a mental health crisis.

More than 50 Illinois State Police troopers have completed the training program. About 13 of them have finished the additional 24-hour train-the-training course and are now providing the 40-hour class to troopers statewide.

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