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Team helps officers deal with mentally ill
| Saturday, Oct 20 2007 9:10 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Oct 20 2007 9:19 PM
Some of the people are well known to officers, while others are being encountered for the first time.
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They all have one thing in common, though. Their behavior indicates they might be suffering from mental illness.
When faced with such situations, officers call the Kern County Mental Health Department's mobile evaluation team.
The team presently comprises six specialists who help law enforcement agencies across the county, including the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff's Department. Unit supervisor Mike Frederick helped start the team eight years ago.
"The team is tasked to respond to requests from lawmen whenever they come in contact with someone mentally ill or in crisis who would benefit from interaction with a mental health professional," Frederick said.
Frederick said he couldn't talk about specific situations, but the team responds to everything from domestic violence incidents to suicidal people. Sometimes they're not sure what they're up against until they get to the scene and talk to officers.
Once the officer has explained what's happening, the team member talks to the person and tries to find out what triggered their behavior. In many instances, the person can be treated without being arrested and hospitalized, Frederick said.
"We help them regain some control," he said.
Officers can often leave the scene and move on to other calls once the team member arrives and takes control.
Bakersfield police Sgt. Greg Terry said freeing up officers' time is a huge benefit from having the team available.
"The long-term goal is for them to be involved with the people we frequently encounter and use them as a resource to get involved so we can limit our contact with those individuals," Terry said.
While there haven't been many violent encounters between officers and the mentally ill in Bakersfield, the team helps make sure the likelihood of such an encounter is at a minimum, Terry said.
Police Chief Bill Rector called the relationship with the team one of the best long-term partnerships the department has had. Some officers were initially skeptical when the partnership started, but everyone has come to embrace what they do.
"One of the most important things is that people with mental illness receive the care they need as quickly as possible," Rector said.
Mental health
Find mental health resources in the Shop & Find section of NewToBakersfield.com.
Here are some resources listed:
National Alliance on Mental Illness: Adult support group meets from 6 to 8:30 p.m. the third Monday of each month. The support group for parents of minors with mental illness meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Monday of each month. Both meet at the UC Merced Center, 2000 K St. 868-7176.
Kern County Mental Health Crisis Line and Stabilization Unit: 868-8000 or 800-991-5272. Provides crisis intervention, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.