Crisis Intervention

Since 2007, the EPPD has responded to 738 psychiatric medical calls and 812 suicide attempt or threat calls. From 2007 to 2014, the number of psychiatric medical calls increased 48% while the number of suicide attempts/threats increased 37%. Recognizing that these numbers were trending upward, the EPPD created the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in 2011.

The CIT is a group of six officers and one sergeant who are specially trained to help the department deal with people who are experiencing mental health concerns including Alzheimer’s, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, phobias and other mental illnesses. The training they receive covers specific crisis intervention techniques that help officers when they respond to a call involving someone who is in mental crisis.

Because the training has been so successful, in 2014 the EPPD decided to extend the training to all patrol officers in the department. Approximately half of the department’s patrol officers received crisis intervention training in 2014 and the other half will go through it in 2015. In addition, crisis intervention techniques have also been added to the mandatory training list for newly hired officers, ensuring that going forward, all officers will be trained in these valuable skills.

Another initiative that the department has undertaken to help manage people in crisis is to ask Eden Prairie residents to voluntarily submit information about themselves or family members who have mental health needs if they think that information would be helpful to officers responding to a call involving that person.

For example, if someone in your household has Alzheimer’s and the department receives a call about a person wandering in your neighborhood, our dispatchers and officers could access the information already provided by the family in order to better respond to the call. Armed with this information, officers can provide customized care, including greater safety for the individual and the officers.

To learn more about this program please contact the EPPD at 952-949-6200.

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