HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 181 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-181
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 6, 2022
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SUBJECT: MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING PROVIDED FOR ALL FORT WORTH
rrn POLICE OFFICERS
The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of training provided for all Fort Worth police
officers regarding crisis intervention and understanding of mental health diagnoses. The Police
Department's current mental health training educates and prepares police officers for interacting with
mentally impaired individuals as well as taking care of themselves and their co-workers.
State-Mandated Training
The Training Academy provides all recruits with 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), which
explores the topic of mental health to include de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques associated
with law enforcement. This course is required by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for
its Basic Peace Officer Course (BPOC). Recruits participate in scenario-based training regarding mentally
impaired individuals. For incumbent officers, TCOLE mandates CIT before they can achieve an
Intermediate or an Advanced Peace Officer License. The course consists of both classroom lecture and
scenario-based training.
Until April of this year, the Training Academy also provided an additional course known as Mental Health
Officer Training (MHOT), through which eligible officers could obtain a Mental Health Officer proficiency
certificate. MHOT was a comprehensive training course, designed to improve an officer's understanding of
mental health diagnoses and identify opportunities for treatment and jail diversion. The course was taught
by a certified Mental Health Officer and a licensed social worker trained specifically in crisis intervention
from My Health My Resources. In order to receive the MHOT certificate, a person must be commissioned
for two years, complete CIT (40 hours), a de-escalation class (8 hours), and then the MHOT (40 hour)
course. The Fort Worth Police Department currently has 878 certified MHOT Officers.
In April of 2022, the State of Texas updated the curriculum for the MHOT certificate to make it more
specialized for officers and/or police departments to set up and maintain a Crisis Intervention Team. This
training is now 24-hours and will only be given to Crisis Intervention officers moving forward. In response
to changes in state law over the MHOT certification, FWPD will be creating an Advanced CIT course that
will use the old MHOT lesson plan to continue this training for our officers.
Additional Training for Fort Worth Police Officers
Mental Health First Aid (8 hours). This training gives officers the skills needed to reach out and provide
initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help
connect them to the appropriate care. It focuses on the unique experiences and needs of public safety
personnel and is a valuable resource that can make a difference in their lives, their coworkers' and
families' lives, and the communities they serve.
Youth Mental Health First Aid (6 hours). This training teaches officers how to identify, understand. and
respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This training gives adults who
work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents
(ages 6-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to
the appropriate care.
Listen Learn Lead (4 hours): Listen Learn Lead is a proven model of intervention based on the work of
U.S. Army Chaplain LTC Lou Koon, who has conducted more than 1,100 successful suicide interventions
in military and civilian communities
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-181
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 6, 2022
Page 2 of 2
i
i7 Y
SUBJECT: MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING PROVIDED FOR ALL FORT WORTH
rrn POLICE OFFICERS
PTSD for Law Enforcement (16 hours): This training, presented by The Stoglin Group, educates officers
about the causative factors of post-traumatic stress syndrome and its affects if not treated by caring and
knowledgeable professionals. The course also discusses available resources and tools.
Additional Training for the Crisis Intervention Team
In addition to all other pre-requisites, all officers assigned to the Crisis Intervention Team receive Hostage
Negotiation Training (40 hours) to assist in establishing rapport or de-escalating certain situations. This
training helps CIT navigate tense and potentially volatile incidents when officers investigate a threat of
violence from a mentally impaired individual, but a criminal offense has not yet occurred. CIT also
conducts quarterly scenario-based training with MHMR staff to operate better as a team while addressing
mental health issues within the community.
Other Department Resources for Mental Health
Crisis Intervention Response K9's: Two CIT officers are partnered with a canine that is trained as an
emotional support canine. CIT has been able to obtain funding through a partnership with Safe City
Commission to create a support group to fund the program for five years. These teams will be deployed
after traumatic events to assist victims in coping with these incidents. They have many uses and
opportunities for interactions with the public as well as internally.
SNAP/Project Guardian Upgrade. This project has been in development for over a year and is anticipated
to go live in early 2023. In partnership with ITS, we are developing a system whereby citizens can
voluntarily register their family/household member who has been diagnosed with IDD, Autism, or
Dementia in order to provide first responders with pertinent information. For example, it will have their
identifying information, a photograph, information on their "hooks" and "triggers", and emergency contact
information. Officers will be notified via the MDC when they are dispatched to the address, provided that
the additional information is available.
If you have any questions about this information, please contact Lieutenant Christopher Gorrie by email at
christopher.gorrie@fortworthtexas.gov or by telephone at 817-392-4014.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS