Cleveland officials including Mayor Frank Jackson and mental health administrators announced upgrades in police training – as well as oversight -- today to improve how law enforcement handles people with mental health issues.
Gary Singletary is the Assistant Law Director for the City. He says the plan includes setting up an advisory board, creating a crisis intervention supervisor, and increasing training from the Cuyahoga Mental Health Services Board for all police officers and cadets.
Singeltary says these efforts should help accomplish one major goal.
“Trying to reduce the involvement of those with mental health crises with the criminal justice system itself, to try to work better to ensure a good result for those individuals as opposed to direct intervention with the justice system.”
Officials say this agreement builds on crisis intervention policies already in place for police.
The changes are part of the consent decree entered into between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Recent cases between police and people suffering from mental health issues have raised questions about adequate training. This includes the case of Tanisha Anderson, who died last November while being detained by Cleveland police officers.