Law enforcement officers are better trained to handle mental health calls with resources.

Saint Anthony – Law enforcement officers are trained to go, go, go, but when it comes to answering mental health calls, they are trained to slow down and engage.

Danny Herrera is part of the San Antonio Police Department’s Mental Health Unit. He said every officer is trained to know what is in front of them when they arrive.

“Ask open-ended questions to get some perspective on what’s really going on, why this person might be acting a certain way,” Herrera said. “So we’re trained to mostly delay the call so we can get a better understanding of what’s going on.”

It’s a different approach, but the community has been calling for a safe end to situations involving mental health crisis calls. Most agencies in Bexar County have officers who have received 40 hours of emergency intervention training. Every officer gets a refresher course every three years.

Herrera is part of a special unit that cares for people and families with chronic conditions. He appears dressed in casual clothes to engage the man.

“Once it’s someone who’s so chronic that the patrol can’t fix it and they need something from us over time, months, sometimes years, we get a referral, then we get an email. A patrol officer, then they’re assigned to someone in our unit,” he said. We meet with these individuals to provide time stability. Sometimes you can’t solve that call in one go. It will be a matter of moving forward with this person for months and sometimes years.

Mike Davis, an instructor with the Alamo Area Council of Government, teaches cadets and officers how to assess if someone has a mental health problem, is mentally retarded or is a danger to the public.

“The goal is for everyone at the end of the day to go home and build confidence, not just them, but the people they’re helping, and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

An officer’s first response to a mental health crisis call will fix that person, family and neighbors.

Cadets use simulators to practice how to respond to people with mental disorders and to practice negotiation.

Much of the training that used to be given to specialized units is now in the hands of everyday officers, some of whom are dealing with mental health crisis calls every day.