IMPD Officers Begin Training To Recognize Mental Illness

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Police officers in Indianapolis are learning how to recognize mental illness when responding to calls and how to keep those situations from escalating.

Five days of training with the Crisis Intervention Team began Monday at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. About 40 officers are participating in an effort to help them better understand mental illness, ranging from depression to schizophrenia, the legal process and how to engage others while on a call.

The ultimate goal is to make situations safer for police officers and the public, as well as getting people with mental illnesses the help and support they need.

The Crisis Intervention Team program has trained more than 200 police officers in Indianapolis.