these issues was a major source of conflict between police and mental health agencies. The codirectors proposed that a 1to 3-day training program be prepared for implementation. They preferred to have the program held monthly over a period of 6 months. The purpose of handling the training in this manner was to enable the various police agencies in the area to send the maximum number of officers for training. The schedule was maintained in order to not reduce manpower at any one time and to provide opportunities for various shifts to participate. Mental Health Agencies' The codirectors received a description of the proposed program from the mental health center. Nine topics were selected to be presented over a 3-day format. The topics included were: (1) crime prevention role-officer safety and mental health concepts as crime prevention, (2) mental health law, (3) crisis intervention model, (4) facilitative communication, (5) family problems, (6) suicide, (7) drugs, (8) rape, and (9) hospitalization criteria, process, and staff relationships. Instructors provided would represent the Community Mental Health Center, the Niagara County Drug Abuse Program, and the Beeman Child Guidance Clinic. Academy codirectors were responsible for program authorization through the academy directors, and secured their full cooperation and support for the training. The training schedule began in January 1975 with four workshops following on a monthly basis. Workshop Format The first Mental Health Workshop was held on January 11, 12, and 13 at the academy site in the Niagara County Community College. Fourteen police officers, from the rank of patrolman to captain, and two female youth workers were in attendance. The participants represented the Lockport, N.Y., Police Department, the New York State Parkway Police, the Niag ara County, N.Y., Sheriff's Department, the Niagara Falls, N.Y., Police Department, and the North Tonawanda, N.Y., Police Department. The educational level of the group ranged from high school graduate to college graduate. Time in police service ranged from 1 year to over 20 years of introducing the participating agencies, and giving an overview of the topics to be covered. This provided orientation to the purpose of the concepts and initiated a working communication between participants and instructors. The officers were encouraged to raise questions and objections during the presentation so the material could be clarified and adapted for practical use. The first lecture on prevention of crime focused on the role of the law enforcement officer in the community. The lecturer advised that if the police officer used his time with the client wisely, he may prevent a crime or eliminate the need for a return call. The need for training the police in mental health areas was emphasized and suggestions were made for implementing the newly acquired information to assist the officers in dealing with clientele. The focus was not just on new skills available, but on long term effects when the skills are implemented. The crisis intervention model was presented as a step-by-step procedure effective in dealing with individuals experiencing mental and/or emotional problems. Focus was on assisting a person to relieve the anxiety or depression he may feel by expressing his feelings. Also presented were a description of a person whose balance is disturbed and a description of the characteristics of excess anxiety and excess depression. These were described so the police officers could more readily identify a person experiencing a critical period. Prior to lunch, a lecture on facilitative communication was presented. The communication levels at which a person may be identified were described so the police officer could determine the degree of verbalizing a person may engage in and assist him in expressing more. Emphasis was placed on accepting and understanding the person. The lecturer outlined the characteristics of helping relationships and discussed the need for this kind of relationship in order to accomplish what is necessary. Using a sample case, on an audio cassette, he discussed the importance of what is said and how it is said. After lunch, the class was divided into three small discussion groups for the purpose of experiential training in facilitative communication. Sample client tapes were used to give the participants an opportunity to discriminate between responses; the of ficers discussed the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of several responses to each client. In addition, each officer was given the opportunity to generate his or her own response; this allowed for individual differences in handling a case and reactions from others. This was followed by role playing, using situations to which the police officers are frequently exposed. A presentation on the mental health law was the final lecture for the day. Because the law was recently revised, the participants were given copies. The instructor focused on sections of the law which were pertinent to the police. He spoke on criteria for hospitalization, both voluntary and involuntary admissions. Various requirements of each admission status were described and an opportunity to discuss the criteria with emergency room staff provided additional clarification for the officers. On the second day, the entire morning was spent on the topics of family problems and child abuse. Suggestions of helpful approaches for handling family disputes and aspects of the family interaction which could lead to understanding of the family's dynamics were offered. It was emphasized that in these cases, when a police officer interacts with a person, he also encounters family dynamics, which often complicate the issue. Referrals to family agencies were sug. gested as likely approaches in dealing with these cases. New York State's child abuse law was clarified to give the officers an understanding of their role and responsibility in this current issue. Agencies available to assist in these cases were discussed. Cases involving rape were discussed. Again, the workshop participants were divided into small groups to facilitate the discussion. The groups discussed attitudes and approaches to be used in dealing with rape victims. Points emphasized were sensitivity, gentleness, and consideration in the investigatory process. The final presentation for the day concerned the topic of drugs. Focus was on drug abuse as a symptom of other problems. The instructors presented drug information pamphlets and the effects of drugs, as well as ways of dealing with the drug abuser. The law enforcement officers were offered available resources of the drug abuse and hotline programs to assist them in these and other similar cases. The third morning began with a discussion on the characteristics of ADMITTING mental problems. Traditional diag nostic terms were discussed and clarified for the class. Some of the traditional biases surrounding the mentally ill were examined to provide a more factual understanding. Also covered in this session was the philosophy of the mental health center toward reduced hospitalization for clients and the resulting effects for policemen interacting more frequently with these people. Police officers were encouraged to talk to hospital workers, offering and receiving information regarding the patient in a cooperative effort. Characteristics of a suicidal client were explained in order to understand the seriousness of suicidal messages. The involvement of a helping person at the point of a suicide at tempt is important and steps can be followed to assist a person through this critical period. Role playing was facilitated by some staff members for the purpose of experiencing some of the techniques described. The final presentation of the work. shop described the steps which a client may use to receive treatment at the mental health center and its affiliates. The lecture was concluded with resources in the community which are available to the police. A list of major agencies and their services, along with telephone numbers, was distributed to the participants. Evaluation The instructional subject matter and techniques as well as the general effectiveness of the 3-day training program were evaluated. The results of the evaluation were scored on the 5-point Likert scale, and a mean score was tabulated to evaluate each aspect of the training program and of the program as a whole. The mean score for general helpfulness and usefulness of the first day was rated by participants as 3.8 (the most favorable response category being 5; the least, 1); for the second day as 3.5, and for the third day as 3.7. The overall mean score, covering all areas responded to during the entire program, was 3.4. The evaluations included additional comments which, with the ratings, provided the instructors data to implement appropriate changes for the coming workshops. It was appar ent that the 3-day workshop could be condensed to a 2-day program with sufficient time to cover the areas. In redesigning the program, the instructors emphasized the technical aspects of their presentations in order to offer more practical knowlege to the law enforcement officers. It was considered important to present mental health concepts in terms police officers could best understand, using actual cases where possible. More emphasis was placed on family-crisis intervention and domestic disputes because the participants readily acknowledged this was an area of need. Included within the subject of drug abuse was a section on alcohol abuse. Films supplemented presentations on suicide and alcohol. Conclusion The law enforcement officers responded to the Mental Health Workshop with a great degree of involve "The ability of the officers to give job-related examples added value to the instruction and increased mental health workers' understanding of the police officer's job." ment. They discussed mutual cases which led to better understanding between respective agencies. Some officers stated that they had developed a new outlook with regard to mental health and a better understanding of problems related to it. The ability of the officers to give job-related examples added value to the instruction and increased mental health workers' understanding of the police officer's job. Throughout the workshop, a greater rapport developed between the police and the mental health center staff. More effective lines of communication were opened as each side listened, empathetically, to the other. The officers, "There is now a rapport and an improved communications system between the police and the mental health agencies." for example, expressed the difficulty they had with the mental health center when people in their custody under the mental health law were not admit. ted to the center and the police received no explanation. The center staff apologized for incidents and took steps to provide for some changes. Since the first workshop, four more sessions have been held at the academy. Each session has been evaluated and changes have been made to keep the training program viable. There is now a rapport and an improved communications system between the police and the mental health agencies. All existing problems have not been eliminated by any means, but with the existing open lines of communication, there is a mechanism for problem solving. Police officers are now aware of the mental health center's procedures for voluntary and involuntary admissions. They have met some of the staff from the emergency room and have an understanding of what to expect. The officers also increased their knowledge of the vast number of resources available to them to provide alternatives not previously used. The academy codirectors are now working with the three agencies to provide a family-crisis intervention training program for 1976. Additionally, the mental health workshops will be continued in the 1976 training calendar. It should also be mentioned that, at the suggestion of workshop participants, this type of training will be implemented in the recruit school. Although a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of workshop graduates in the field is yet to be at tempted, some changes have readily been observed. The counseling center's calls have increased, and communication flows more easily between police officers and intake workers at the hospital. We are pleased with the evaluation results and the feedback we have received from the participants and their respective agencies. The workshops have provided a great benefit to our academy and to the many officers who participated in the programs. FINGERPRINTS The largest collection of fingerprints in the world is maintained in the FBI Identification Division, with over 162 million sets on file at the close of fiscal year 1975. The FBI received a total of 5,797,145 new fingerprint cards during the fiscal year, with an average daily receipt of 23,005 cards. Of the total fingerprint submissions in the fiscal year, 2,883,434 were criminal in nature. POLICE PATROLS In 1974, 88 percent of the police patrol assignments utilized in cities were vehicle patrols, and 12 percent were foot patrols. Patrol distribution indicated that 35 percent of the patrol activity was during the day, 35 percent during the evening hours, and after midnight, 30 percent. The distribution of 1- and 2man vehicle patrol assignments for all cities indicated that 85 percent of the vehicle patrols during the day involved 1-man cars, 81 percent during the evening hours, and after midnight, 76 percent. |