CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Police Department (CPD) said it’s working to bridge the gap between police officers and those with mental health issues who might need help.
CPD now has a Crisis Intervention Team partnering a mental health professional with a police officer for specific calls.
The Crisis Intervention Team is a national program designed to help police officers respond to calls that involve someone with a mental health issue.
Here in Cleveland, the police department works with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board (ADAMHS).
Emma Borrelli is putting on a ballistic vest as she gets ready to go out on the field. She’s not a police officer, but she is around one almost every single day.
“I’m very passionate about crisis in particular, it does not take long working in this niche to realize that there are holes and we are not responding to crisis in the best way that we could, so being part of this change is really exciting,” she said.
Borrelli is a crisis intervention specialist who rides with officers as they respond to mental health calls. It’s part of CPD’s mission to properly attend to individuals with mental health issues.
Charles Leonardi is a crisis intervention police officer who’s been working alongside Borelli for one year. He said this program has been an eye opener for him.
“I’ve learned a lot from Emma over the last year,” he said. “She’s been able to open up my mind about a lot of different things. I’ve been able to educate myself about a lot of different topics in regards to mental health.”
Borelli says this new partnership in Cleveland is a step in the right direction but adds many departments have a long way to go.
CPD said the numbers from an annual report show that the use of force is down when it comes to responding to mental health calls.
