Latest news with #CrisisInterventionTeam
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man faces arson, assault charges after 6-hour standoff with Springfield police
A man is facing charges after he barricaded himself inside a Springfield apartment following a domestic incident Wednesday night, leading to a six-hour standoff with police, according to police. Springfield resident Victor Velasquez, 62, has been charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, arson, witness intimidation and armed breaking and entering at nighttime to commit a felony, Springfield police said in a press release. Officers responded to an apartment on Byers Street around 11:10 p.m. on Wednesday for a report of a domestic disturbance involving an attempted arson, police said. When they arrived, Velasquez — who was identified as the suspect — had left the apartment, but he returned later armed with a knife and barricaded himself inside the apartment. During this time, detectives applied for and were granted a warrant for Velasquez's arrest, police said. The Springfield Police Emergency Service Unit and Crisis Intervention Team were also called to the scene to assist. After a six-hour standoff, police entered the apartment and found Velasquez unresponsive, police said. They treated him with Narcan before taking him to Baystate Medical Center with the lingering effects of an unknown drug overdose. No further information about the incident has been released. Western Mass. man found guilty of raping 3-year-old Boston woman hit man on electric scooter with her car, stabbed him, DA says Belmont man wanted in connection with road rage hatchet assault surrenders Boston teen sentenced to prison for fatal stabbing sparked by social media feud Man involved in Springfield excessive force scandal as teen headed to prison in unrelated case Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pine Belt agencies attend Crisis Intervention Team training
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – Law enforcement agencies from across the Pine Belt joined forces to improve how they respond to mental health calls. Hattiesburg police, Forrest County deputies and other area agencies took park in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training on Thursday. 'It's important, so we can recognize quickly whether somebody is in a mental crisis, or they're just not responding to our law enforcement presence. It doesn't stop us from doing our job. It just gives us another tool to understand the mental crisis,' said Sgt. Tyler McCann, with the Hattiesburg Police Department. Jones County removes kratom ordinance due to state law changes The course, hosted by Pine Belt Mental Health Services, trains officers to recognize mental health crises and respond safely and effectively through scenario-based exercises and role-playing. CIT training emphasizes de-escalation, diversion and collaboration with local behavioral health providers. 'There is a need in our community for when people are in a crisis, and they have a mental illness that someone can come out that can actually get them to the next step. And we are seeing more and more that there is a need for this in our community. And we're also trying to reduce the recidivism in and out of the jail systems, the justice systems,' said Samantha Brogan, CIT coordinator for Pine Belt Mental Health Services. Participants will graduate on Friday and receive a special pine, signifying they're trained to respond to mental health crises. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Help or harm: Local police chief shares his own experience with mental health struggles
UCF Police Chief Carl Metzger walks through the halls and streets of the University of Central Florida campus proudly carrying a 'Crisis Intervention Training' certification pin. He says the training has made a tremendous impact across his agency. 'I'm proudest of the way we at the UCF Police Department handle these types of calls,' the Chief said. The journey hasn't been easy, however, and Chief Metzger has a unique perspective about mental health concerns. He lost his son, Daniel, in 2023 due to a mental illness. Even before that, though, the 28-year-old had many runs with law enforcement. 'We felt like we had gotten him into a good place, and unfortunately, things did not work out, and it's been a rough road for mom and dad,' Chief Metzger said. 'Daniel ultimately was Baker-acted eight times. And I saw those law enforcement officers who were CIT, Crisis Intervention Team, trained and those who weren't. And the difference between the response was stark.' There's a high volume of mental health crisis-related calls across our counties. In Sumter County, for example, the sheriff's office tracked 1,054 calls between 2023 and 2024. In Seminole County, the sheriff's office responded 3,351 just last year. In Orange County, that number jumped to 5,309 calls in the same time period. So far this year, Orange County has already responded to nearly 1,700 mental health-related calls - two of those calls ended with a person killed; one of them was Antonio Scippio, who called 911 himself. 'I am about to kill myself,' the 911 recording stated. Scippio's mother, Gail Reed, said the 33-year-old had mental illnesses for years. 'Schizophrenia, bipolar, paranoia. You name it,' she said. 'It's still very hard for me to step back into this house and every time I step I see him lying there in a pile of blood that was uncalled for.' The Sheriff told us, right after the shooting, that this outcome was unusual. 'He continues to walk toward the deputies with the knife, including refusing several commands,' Sheriff John Mina said on the evening of February 21st, 2024, when the shooting happened. The Orange County sheriff's office says their Behavioral Response Units – which includes a clinician and a deputy – do not directly respond to calls when the person is armed, which is why only deputies showed up at Antonio Scippio's home. Chief Metzger says law enforcement officers walk a thin line between protecting the person who's having a mental crisis and protecting themselves… and that's why Crisis Intervention Training is so important. 'We need to keep our officers sharp and their skills sharp and ready to go out there and save lives,' the Chief said. That's why mental health advocates with the National Alliance on Mental Illness say the state of Florida should require training for all law enforcement officers. 'I think all departments across the country are struggling to put officers on the street, and I think that it's a it's, you know, adding 40 hours of Academy time. You know, is taken away from officers being on the streets,' said Freddie Morello, executive director of NAMI. 'There are funding concerns. There are some departments that don't believe in the crisis intervention training.' NAMI partners with law enforcement agencies to help train its officers on how to best respond to calls involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Chief Metzger - who is now a board member at the organization - uses his own story to help others. 'Do you think the work you do right now is the legacy of your son?,' Channel 9's Geovany Dias asked. 'I do. We miss him, we love him, but we're going to continue to help others, and that helps u,' the chief said. NAMI said she trained more than 1,500 law enforcement officers just in the past two years across Orange, Osceola, Brevard, and Seminole counties. They are now pushing and hoping their training will become a requirement for all law enforcement agencies across the state. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mobile Public Safety putting increased emphasis on mental health intervention
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Members of the Mobile Police Department are increasing the visibility and use of specially trained officers to help respond to mental health calls. It's part of an effort to add to the tools available to keep people safe and sometimes get people the care they need. When it comes to people in a mental health crisis, in many cases, having a specially trained police officer and a mental health expert can work better than a beat cop and a night behind bars. I caught up with Officer Austin Guffey, he's a Mobile Police Detective who's also gotten special training to be part of the city's Crisis Intervention Team. Tuesday, I was with him when he and a doctor from Alta Pointe were asked to check on a man on the street to see if he needed help. At least while I was there, the man declined, but it's part of repeated contact they have to try and connect people with the help they may need. Police officials say last year they had more than 2000 calls for mental health services and that's an undercount. Officials say they can't arrest their way out of this issue. 'That's never going to be the solution. In fact, sometimes when they go into, you know, a jail or prison or something like that, when they come out, their mental health is actually worse,' said Officer Austin Guffey with the Crisis Intervention Team. Ideally it's a two person team going to help. 'We want a system where when you call 911, it's police, fire, EMS or mental health, and if there's no weapon involved, that response should be from a mental health clinician,' said Dr. Cindy Gipson with Crisis and Justice Involved Services at Alta Pointe. In addition to wrapping their mental health response vehicle in a new logo, they're also increasing crisis intervention training–and distributing more I-pads to those an officer doesn't have a clinician partner from Alta Pointe with them the tablet is there to allow them to get someone to talk to the person who may be having a mental health crisis and also offering counciling in the moment to the officer if they experience something traumatic. 'A lot of the normal police tactics may aggravate the situation when you're dealing with the mental health. These officers are trained to de-escalate far beyond where the normal officers are trained to do it,' said director of Public Safety Robert Lasky. The director of public safety says it's a chance to take a wholistic approach to protecting the public. 'Just an added understanding of how that officer needs to respond out to a mental health call. Our mental health officers will be dedicated to responding to those calls in their precincts, as opposed to an officer who's not trained in CIT,' said Deputy Director of Public Safety Curtis Graves. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Armed, wanted' man in NW Portland standoff
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An armed suspect, known by police to have an outstanding warrant, is in a standoff with authorities in Northwest Portland. Right around 6 p.m., officers on patrol spotted the person and stopped at NW 21st and Hoyt. Officials said the suspect ' immediately used pepper spray on the officers and lunged at them with a knife before running off.' 'Steven guiding us': Hood River vigil honors slain man The suspect — whose name has not been released at this time — ran to the front of a pizza restaurant at NW 21st and Irving. A Taser and 'less lethal munitions' were used to stop the suspect, but they didn't work. A shelter-in-place for businesses and residents was put into effect and streets in the area have been closed. The Crisis Intervention Team is at the scene. KOIN 6 News will have more information as it develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
