Sgt. Jamie Sipes from the St. Paul Minnesota Police Department comes on the show to talk to Matt Tinney about their approach to better serving those living with a mental illness. 
 
He discusses how they came together with the community to address programs, training, policies, and more as they relate to interactions between someone living with a mental illness and the police department. Jamie talks about the new unit that he is part of, the Mental Health Unit. What their goals are and what he would like to see in 10 years. 
 
If you have enjoyed this interview and would like to hear more interviews please let us know at ask@goCIT.org.

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The Saint. Paul Police Department (SPPD) just created a brand new unit to connect people in crisis with the care they need, helping to significantly reduce mental-health-crisis-related arrests and repeat calls for service.
 
With a concentration on community outreach, the unit seeks to be part of the conversation before tragedy occurs—and possibly prevent or disrupt the behaviors.

​Matt Tinney and Jenn Earhart start this one off about first time pets… well the difference in gerbils, hamsters, mice, and rats. Jenn goes on to talk about the Big Brother and Big Sister program and how to get started. 
 
We then tune into a session from the CIT ECHO where Nils Rosenbaum, MD gives a talk on the bipolar brain. 

​​So the newest non-traditional law enforcement tool being utilized by police throughout the country is Narcan or Naloxone. This is a medication designed to quickly reverse opioid overdose. Here is New Mexico they made it a requirement that all law enforcement carry it, making it a first law of its kind. Having successfully passed, it is only a matter of time before other laws are passed similar throughout the country.

Check out this open CIT ECHO session with Dr. Jeff Swanon. If you would like to attend please send Jenn an email at jearheart@cabq.gov. 

Check out this data from the CIT ECHO. On-going training can help with self-efficacy and our viewpoints on mental health. 

1.     Nurture your relationships. Having close relationships and showing gratitude is what gives lasting happiness to people. Winning the lottery doesn't help your happiness in the long run. It’s about people and love, and love can take work. Tell people you care about them; it will make you and them both feel better.

2.     Shorten your commute. Choose homes and jobs that are closer together. Studies show that people who have shorter commutes feel happier. Perhaps this is because they can focus on the things that matter most: more time with friends and family. If you can’t shorten your commute, make it more enjoyable – a good book on tape, or your favorite music.

3.     Volunteer to help those less fortunate. Studies show that people who give back to their community feel better about themselves and live longer. Again, it’s about connections between people, not between you and material possessions. Get involved!

4.     Have more sex. When you are more frequently intimate with the person you love, you’ll both feel better.

5.     Write a letter of gratitude. Send an old fashioned letter or an email to someone who has helped you. If you make a habit of letting people know that you appreciate what they have done for you, you’ll feel better and they’ll feel better. 

The PERF has released this new training document to help all agencies raise their training level. See more here: http://www.policeforum.org/about-icat

"Introduction: Filling a Critical Gap in Training — 5 Since 2014, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has been studying developments regarding police use of force, particularly with respect to officer safety and the safety of the people they encounter, and the impact of these issues on police-community relationships. While PERF’s research and policy development on use-of-force issues go back decades,2 our recent efforts have followed a series of highly publicized police use-of-force incidents across the country, many of them captured on video and some resulting in large-scale protests and demonstrations. 
There is a growing realization among leaders of the policing profession and members of the public that, in many communities, police use of force has become a critical issue that is setting back community-police relations and may even be impacting public safety and officer safety. It was clear that additional research and new ways of thinking about police use of force were needed, and PERF members and PERF as an organization stepped forward to fill that need. 
PERF has convened several national conferences and working groups of police officials from the across the country on these issues. We also have conducted survey research and field visits in the United States and internationally, and have published a series of reports detailing our work. Our most recent publication, Guiding Principles on Use of Force, presents 30 recommended best practices in the key areas of use-of-force policy, training and tactics, equipment, and information needs.3 This ICAT Training Guide should be used in conjunction with the Guiding Principles report."