Law enforcement regularly responds to service calls for individuals with mental illness who may be in crisis. Officers and deputies need the knowledge and resources to effectively respond to these crises, while also ensuring the safety of the individuals with mental illness, other community members on the scene, and themselves.

Just like law enforcement officers address mental health issues in the community, agency leaders must address the psychological and emotional well-being of their officers. Mental health and resilience is a core element of officer safety and wellness. Therefore, officers must be able to not only withstand day-to-day work-related stress, but also be able to recover emotionally from traumatic events.

Many resources are available at the local and national level to provide information and support:

Federal Websites:

• Community Policing Topics: Officer Safety and Wellness
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration
• Mental Health Resources
• Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
• Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program

Federal Publications (All are free for order or download):

• Preparing for the Unimaginable: How Chiefs Can Safeguard Officer Mental Health Before and After Mass Casualty Events
• Breaking the Silence on Law Enforcement Suicides: IACP National Symposium on Law Enforcement Officer Suicide and Mental Health
• Health, Safety, and Wellness Program Case Studies in Law Enforcement
• Making Officer Safety and Wellness Priority One: A Guide to Educational Campaigns

Stakeholder Websites:

• National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI)
• National Commission on Correctional Health Care
• Mental Health First Aid
• National Public Safety Partnership
• IACP Psychological Services Section

Stakeholder Resources:

• CIT: Teaching Police How to Respond to a Mental Health Crisis (NAMI)
• The Variability in Law Enforcement State Standards: A 42-State Survey on Mental Health and Crisis De-escalation Training
• Improving Officer Response to Persons with Mental Illness and Other Disabilities
• Building Safer Communities: Improving Police Response to Persons with Mental Illness
• IACP Responding to Persons Affected by Mental Illness or in Crisis

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