Minnesota police see sharp drop in MH crisis following new training

Mental health crisis calls reported by Minnetonka police fell by almost a quarter in 2018, after officers took part in a crisis intervention program developed by two Twin Cities criminal justice professors, the Star Tribune reported Feb. 22. The decline in crisis calls contrasts dramatically with statistics from comparable metro‐area cities, said Jillian Peterson, a professor at Hamline University in St. Paul who co‐developed the training program. Elsewhere, last year's crisis calls — which typically involve depression, suicide threats, psychosis or erratic behavior under the influence of drugs or alcohol — either increased from the previous year or declined only slightly. In Minnetonka, a suburban city in Minnesota, everyone on the police department staff — civilians as well as the 57 sworn officers — was required to take the training in February 2018. Last year's calls totaled 302, which was 23 percent fewer than the previous year. Minnetonka police are planning further improvements in their strategies for handling crisis calls, Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom said. For example, officials are working on a plan with the Plymouth Police Department to partner with a social worker who would provide follow‐up counseling.