Fort Worth police look to reduce use-of-force against those with mental health issues
With funding from a Fort Worth-based foundation, Fort Worth police will assure every officer is trained to reduce use-of-force when confronting people with mental health issues, the department announced this week.
Fort Worth City Council accepted a $47,495 grant from The Morris Foundation on Tuesday to make this training and certification a top priority, according to a Fort Worth police news release. The training of 1,659 officers in small groups over the course of 18 months will focus on de-escalation techniques that mitigate violence, thus increasing the safety of officers and the public.
The Morris Foundation’s key area of support on the project is on improving mental health in the greater Fort Worth community. Todd Liles, foundation executive director and trustee, said training these officers will create a positive change in the way law enforcement manages mental health situations.
“Training of the whole force will have the greatest possible impact, reducing escalated incidents and creating jail diversion opportunities for our most vulnerable populations,” Liles said in the news release.
The announcement of the program comes after a summer where people in Fort Worth and cities across the nation called for police reform or the defunding of the police after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.
According to the department’s 2019 Use of Force Report, Fort Worth police used force 453 times that year. Out of those, 78 were against mentally unstable individuals, the third-highest group of people who officers used force against.
The highest call volume for mental health situations occurs in the south, east and north communities of Fort Worth, according to the news release. The goal of the program will be to make fewer arrests and assure people get evaluated. Fort Worth police hope this will help improve long-term community health and provide officers with options outside of enforcement.
Starting next week, officers will be put in classes of about 30 to undergo the 40-hour training program that will be taught by a certified mental health officer and a licensed MHMR social worker trained specifically in crisis intervention, Lt. Amy Ladd said.
“Increasing public trust and confidence in law enforcement among people suffering from mental illness, their families and the community at-large is our goal,” Ladd said in the release.
“Often family members call police in an attempt to assist a relative who is exhibiting problematic or troubling behavior due to mental illness,” Ladd said. “In some cases, when the police arrive, the subject is holding an implement that may be perceived as potentially harmful, which can result in a deadly force encounter.
“The underlying elements behind mental illness-related behaviors are usually not criminal or malicious,” she said. “Utilizing the information from this course and implementing effective strategies can help keep officers and the public safe.”
Police Chief Ed Kraus said in the news release that the grant will allow officers to respond better to people experiencing a mental crisis.
“I have no doubt this will result in better outcomes as our officers serve these individuals in need,” Kraus said.
The Fort Worth Police Department has also created a Behavioral Health Advisory Response Board that will review the department’s policies and practices related to behavioral health situations, Ladd said.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 4:57 PM.
