Mental Reinforcements

 

The tragedy that struck the heart of one Tulare family on March 12, 2018 could be construed as another racially charged

officer-involved shooting, but the events of that day go deeper than skin color.

 

Obscure reports say a young black man was in a confrontation with a local bus driver at the intersection of Cherry and

Cross in Tulare. The description was similar enough to 27-year-old Jontell Reedom that when police responded they

chose to speak to him. One passerby captured the violent exchange between two Tulare police officers and Jontell on

video.

 

Viewers saw in the final moments of Jontell’s life, him jogging away from the two police officers that are currently left

unnamed by the police department. When one officer came within a close distance they attempted to subdue him with

their Taser. When Jontell continued to try and elude the officers the confrontation led to blows for a brief moment

before crossing the street to the First Baptist Church.

 

Because of the obstructed view from passing cars, distance and video quality it is unclear what transpired between the

officers and Jontell. One of the officers seconds later fired eight rounds, eventually killing him.

 

At the same time the national conversation was focused on police officers responding to black suspects with deadly

force at disproportionate rates. Some castigated the Tulare Police Department for what appeared to be another deadly

shooting between the police and a black man until Jontell’s mom, Anyka Harris, addressed the Tulare City Council after

the shooting explaining her son suffered from schizophrenia.

 

“We have some great police officers but what are we going to do about the issue of how they interact with mental

health patients?” Harris asked at the March 20 Tulare City Council meeting. “When are they going to get their training?

Because they need it, and they need it now before someone else like my son is brutally murdered – executed!”

 

As a part of police academy curriculum candidates take a required course preparing them for potential mental health

situations. However, once officers graduate there is no explicit requirement they take on additional mental health

training. Active members of law enforcement, and in particular patrol officers, can theoretically go their entire career

without taking any updated or additional mental health courses.

 

“I’m hoping you guys are working on whatever budget you need to get [officers mental health training],” Harris added in

her address to the Tulare City Council. “Though I’m hoping you guys are working on whatever budget you need to get

[officers] to whatever people or organizations to train them, so they know how to interact and deescalate when they

come in contact with someone who has mental illness.”

 

Harris says Jontell grew up a well-known character around Tulare who, in part because of his natural athletic ability on

the football field.

 

“Football was his love. His life revolved around football…He was one of the hardest players to take down. It would take

five or six players sometimes to get him down and sometimes he would drag them along the field,” Harris said.

 

Two years after graduating high school in 2009, Harris noticed Jontell’s normally carefree and jovial personality retreat

into silence and loneliness. She said at first she did not recognize it as mental illness. Before long Jontell was saying 

hurtful things to his family that he normally showed love and affection toward. Then he began responding to voices he

could hear in his head. In 2011 Jontell was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia.

 

 

California does not require officers take post-academy Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), and it is not viewed as a

perishable skill in need of renewal. But the need for more mental health training for current officers is undeniable.

 

“In the big scheme of things, and now that officers are dealing with [mental illness] even more; [their academy training]

probably is not enough,” Salazar said. “But having said that, here in Tulare County, Visalia Police Department, the

Sheriff’s office and Tulare County Mental Health have partnered up to put on CIT.”

 

The partnership in Tulare County between the two largest law enforcement agencies and the mental health branch

began in 2008. The entire curriculum spans 40 hours over four days.

 

“It is our opportunity to come together for mental health with law enforcement individuals and kind of introduce them

to world of mental health and those dealing with mental health issues and help them understand the barriers and issues

that those with mental health are dealing with,” said Casie Ennis, Psychiatric Emergency Services manager for Tulare

County Mental Health branch.

 

While the Tulare County Mental Health branch ultimately hosts the training, the content is a collaborative effort

between them and the law enforcement agencies. Course material integrates presentations from experts, officer safety

and tactics and then four role play scenarios.

 

In their first day of training officers listen to presentations providing an

overview of the mental health system, personality disorders, psychosis disorders, psychotic disorders, dementia, and

neurocognitive disorders. Their second day introduces mood and anxiety disorders, a presentation by family members of

those struggling with mental illness or a panel of presenters who have struggled with mental illness and then bring

presenters who have benefited from mental health services.

 

In addition, officers are exposed to presentations for

autism, developmental disabilities and visit the Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital. Officers’ third day is consumed by

officer safety and tactics.

 

The fourth day for officers is their chance to practice the tactics they have learned through four simulations: suicidal

person on the Santa Fe Rail Road overpass above Highway 198; a suicidal person with a knife to their throat; a person

with a personality disorder who is angry and unwilling to openly communicate; and a person who has removed their

clothes in a park, talking to themselves and disturbing the peace.

 

Salazar and Ennis say the feedback from the officers that attended has been positive, in part because the curriculum is

influenced by their fellow officers. “It has been presented in a way that makes sense to them so you know the buy in is real.” Ennis said.

 

The course is free for officers and offered twice a year. Right now the training can only accommodate between 35 and

40 officers per course, Ennis says they will be offering the course four times per year beginning in 2019 to help meet the

growing demand. The course has been available for 10 years, offering two courses per year until mental health started

drawing more attention because of law enforcement.

 

In addition to help create the curriculum for CIT the Visalia Police Department has taken it upon themselves to help the

most public portion of the mentally ill, with their Homeless Outreach & Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) team.

“I think our HOPE team is a big tool, because they become more and more familiar with people and more and more

familiar with the resources,” Salazar said.

 

Officer Nate Henry has been a part of the HOPE team since it was established, and is a VPD veteran of 13 years. He had

taken CIT three years before signing up for transient detail for the north of Visalia in January 2016, before HOPE was

created. He continued the assignment every other quarter, taking three months off to give other officers the

opportunity. When VPD created the HOPE team they pulled Henry in for an interview.

 

“They mostly went over ideas on how to help the homeless and what they could do to see if you’re invested in this or if

it’s just another part of your job,” Officer Henry said.

 

According to Henry, having a familiarity with the population is key to understanding them. He said that he is acquainted

with over 100 people who live on the street and those tend to be the people they are called out for most often.

 

“If you know them or there is a way to recognize they have something going on…if you’re ordering them to do

something and they have mental health issues you’ll see they are trying to listen but maybe something is telling them

not to listen,” Henry said. “And there is something potentially going on inside of them that we can’t understand.”

 

Now that he has spent over a year as a HOPE team officer Henry has come across any number of situations dealing with

mental illness. And familiarity is not the only helpful tool, sometimes it is just good judgment. Henry said part of being a

HOPE officer is knowing how to “read the need” of the people he is approaching.

 

“If it was more of a substance abuse thing then I’ll try and approach that by getting them into some program if they are

willing…if it’s mental illness, I’ll offer to take them to mental health services and sit with them in the waiting room if they

want me to,” Henry said.

 

He noted the way an officer physically approaches the homeless is just as important as what they have to say or offer.

Henry said that he will sometimes ride his bike around the places where the homeless tend to stay instead of driving his

car because it is less intimidating.

 

Having a HOPE team for Visalia is a significant help to other officers. Part of the reason it was created was to free up the

time patrol officers were spending on non-crime related calls.

 

“Because of the nature of mental illness calls, to identify them, and deescalate them, and get the right resources

together, it takes time and therefore it has a big impact on resources,” Salazar said.

 

 

Police officers agree there is a swelling tide of mental illness on the horizon and they are already beginning to feel its

effects. But officers are finding themselves woefully underprepared.

 

Lindsay Chief of Public Safety Chris Hughes says none of his 15 sworn officers have received the one-week course. A of

October he added that is due to a lack of course offerings and small class sizes.

 

“The hold up with that is the amount of classes versus the amount of cops trying to get in. The numbers are limited,”

Hughes said. “But I understand they have to fund it too, so I get it.”

 

Because the course is offered to all law enforcement officers in Tulare County the courses can be competitive. Hughes

says his department is jockeying for space with other agencies like the Visalia Police Department which has over 150

officers, or the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office who has 127 sworn patrol officers alone. And while local chiefs are trying to

push their officers through, there are other departments whose employees benefit from the training as well, like parole

officers.

 

“While we reserve the most spots at each CIT class for sworn police officers, we do also invite other professional or

safety individuals who may work with persons struggling with mental health problems,” said Ennis.

 

Ennis added that because officers are currently being waitlisted they limit other non law enforcement officers to five

spaces per course. As of now the Lindsay police department has two officers enrolled in the CIT course for December

and two others waitlisted. And the importance of getting officers into the class is not lost on Hughes.

 

“Everyone needs it and we are being asked to do more, and more, and more in the law enforcement community…and

we have to take on that challenge,” Hughes said.

 

Woodlake Police Chief Mike Marquez, ultimately agrees. He says that finding classes, and getting his officers there is like

threading a very small needle.

 

“If they made the training more readily available people would be able to accommodate it. They’ve only offered it twice

a year and this is the only window we have and we are trying to cram officers in from all over the county,” Marquez said.

 

Exeter Police Chief John Hall, who recently took over the department this year, says the information is worthwhile, but