Over 340 Luzerne County police complete special training on mental health crisis response

More than 340 Luzerne County law enforcement officers have completed special training to enhance responses to incidents involving mental health crises, said county Mental Health/Developmental Services Administrator Tara Fox.

Known as the Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, program, the five-day sessions provided by Fox’s department connect law enforcement with mental health professionals and advocates to share resources and techniques. The county is using CIT International’s model.

“It is improving the everyday interaction between the public and police,” said Fox.

As part of the latest training, simulated scenes played out inside the Catholic Youth Center in Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

In one, Wilkes-Barre Police Sgt. Peter Cordaro, who has helped coordinate the CIT program for several years, closely observed officers entering a pretend Kirby Park to respond to a woman outraged over her perception of two sisters who came to the park for a picnic.

The sisters clutched a box with their belongings and had a shared blanket draped over their heads to make them feel safe when police arrived.

An officer kept the female caller away from the sisters as she loudly complained the women were making people uncomfortable. The other officers approached the sisters and calmly asked them to display the contents of the box to ensure there were no weapons.

Patty Roper, supervisor of blended case management at the Robinson Counseling Center, played one of the sisters and credited the officers for their sensitivity in dealing with the situation. The officers asked relevant questions in an even tone and did not yank the blanket off the sisters, which could have alarmed them, she said. Police also did not get worked up when the sisters tossed some contents of the box, such as flip flops, on the ground in response to the police directive.

Cordaro also commended the officers, saying versions of the Kirby Park exercise are regularly encountered by police. While the sisters’ behavior may seem odd to some, they were not committing any crimes, he said.

“This is a real scenario police deal with,” he said.

Robert McAllister, the county’s Mental Health/Developmental Services CIT coordinator, said Friday’s exercises followed four days of classroom training.

“It provides them with an opportunity to put the training into motion,” McAllister said of the simulations.

Another exercise Friday involved a caller reporting an intoxicated woman at the fake Kirby Park.

Joe Kloss and Shawn Yelland, also coordinators in the program, oversaw another simulation elsewhere in the building.

Kloss, who was instrumental in securing funding for the program as the county human services grants director, portrayed a suicidal man clutching a knife.

Yelland, a Wilkes-Barre Police officer, monitored law enforcement response.

The officers kept their distance and tried to get Kloss to put down the knife, saying they did not want him to kill himself and were interested in discussing his troubles.

Kloss paced back and forth and wouldn’t change his mind, saying he was broke, discovered his girlfriend was unfaithful and had no support from family or friends.

Ultimately police had to use a Taser because he plowed toward them with the knife.

With an experienced eye, Yelland critiqued their actions, commending them for maintaining space, trying to connect with him and recognizing the point when he had to be non-lethally subdued for the safety of everyone involved.

Yelland said he wholeheartedly supports the program because it promotes safety and reinforces tools and resources available to police officers.

Cordaro echoed those sentiments. The training includes presentations from local nonprofits and county departments equipped to help the homeless and those with mental health issues and substance use disorders.

Participants also learn about the county’s mental health court and the mechanics and nuances of the mental health involuntary commitment process, he said.

“This is about connecting more to resources that are already available,” Cordaro said.

Participants also get a sense of what it’s like for someone dealing with psychosis by wearing headphones that play voices, Fox said. They must try to mentally ignore these voices and concentrate on external police commands.

The experience shows officers someone with psychosis is not willingly oppositional or defiant by failing to comply with directions, she said.

“Because they’re experiencing these auditory hallucinations, it’s difficult to organize their thoughts and respond accurately and timely to officer commands,” Fox said. “That’s a huge eye-opener. The officers can see how disorienting this is.”

Overall, the goal is to strategically use law enforcement during crisis situations — such as when there is an imminent threat to safety or a criminal concern — and increase the involvement of mental health professionals, peer support specialists and other community resources when possible, Fox said.

Reducing trauma during a mental health crisis can improve long-term recovery, she said.

As the law enforcement training continues for interested officers, the county is starting to plan the creation of a Crisis Intervention Partner, or CIP, training program for residents in other professions, including teachers, bus and van drivers and county Children, Youth and Families caseworkers, she said.

Fox thanked law enforcement, which includes county sheriff deputies, for undergoing the training and for their employers’ willingness to make scheduling accommodations for officers to attend.

“No officers are forced to take the training. These are officers who want to do this,” Fox said.