The training for Denver Sheriff Department deputies on how to deal with inmates in crisis is nerve-wracking.
Actors wearing jail uniforms scream in hysterics, flail and even stuff wads of tissue up their noses to simulate real life inside a detention center.
During a recent training exercise, Denver Sheriff Department Deputy Tim Moore kept his voice low as he coaxed and pleaded with an actor pretending to have an imaginary friend named “Roger” in his cell. The actor refused to go see the jail’s nurse for medication.
“Thatap what the pills are for — to make him go away!” the actor shouted.
When Moore acknowledged the inmate’s imaginary friend, the instructors called time out.
Deputies should not participate in someone’s delusions, the instructors said. They stand to lose credibility later when the inmate’s thoughts are in order. The instructors also recommended that Moore introduce himself, frequently use the inmate’s name and maintain eye contact.
“I’ve had people just like him, believe it or not,” Moore said once the scenario ended.
As part of its , the Denver Sheriff Department is sending its nearly 700 uniformed deputies through a 40-hour crisis intervention training program, or CIT. The department will spend just over $1 million this year to pay for it, said Simon Crittle, a department spokesman.
The training is part of the sheriff’s department changed focus of de-escalating conflict. That shift is reflected in released last month that requires deputies to use the communication technique “verbal judo” and other tactics to win inmates’ cooperation. Force should be a last resort under the new policy.
Crisis intervention has been used in law enforcement since the late 1980s after it was developed by the Memphis, Tenn., police department, said Tech. Susan Gann, a Denver Police Department officer who has worked in the field since 2002 when the department started training officers in it.
“All officers, since the beginning of time, have been doing CIT,” Gann said. “They’ve always dealt with these populations, and they’ve always dealt with these situations.”
In the past, though, officers used their past experiences to figure out what to do. Now, there is more research and better training on what to do, Gann said.
Across the United States, law enforcement is learning more about how to deal with mentally ill people, addicts and others going through a crisis. The Presidentap Task Force on 21st Century Policing listed de-escalation as a priority for all law enforcement agencies in its May 2015 report.
Colorado’s Peace Officers Standards and Training requirements now include two hours of de-escalation training every year for officers to maintain their certification, said Jaime Brower, a psychologist who teaches the classes for Nicoletti-Flater Associates, a Lakewood firm that specializes in police and public safety psychology and consults with law enforcement across Colorado.
At the Denver Police Department, 98 percent of the departmentap 1,479 officers are certified in CIT, Gann said. Denver police are certified through a week-long training after they have been on the job for 18 months, she said.
The department shifted its philosophy in 2012 and began training every officer on how to deal with people in crisis. Previously, it had a team that responded to crisis calls.
“If itap valuable for one, itap valuable for all,” said Scott Snow, director of the departmentap crisis services section.
Jails often serve as warehouses for mentally ill people. Sheriffs are fond of saying they are in charge of the largest mental health facility in their respective jurisdictions.
The Denver Sheriff Department has been teaching a form of crisis intervention for more than 10 years. It had the first detention-based program in the country, said Capt. Shayne Grannum, the departmentap CIT coordinator.
Before then, jailers’ knowledge of mental illness was slim, he said.
“Our thought process was, ‘We’ll lock them away until they come to or get themselves together,’ ” Grannum said.
But expectations and jail management have changed.
“Now, you’re constantly solving problems,” Grannum said. “ You’re constantly communicating.”
The Denver Sheriff Department is working with Nicoletti-Flater Associates. It is unique for departments the size of the Denver police and sheriff to train every officer, said Brower.
Last week, Brower taught a group of 16 deputies the basic strategies behind de-escalation.
“The more we can understand human behavior, the easier it is to get people to do what we need them to do,” Brower said. “Itap about figuring out human behavior. You guys have to be specialists.”
Brower told members of the group that they have a difficult job as they are asked to understand what is driving a person’s behavior. Deputies must be empathetic, build rapport, solve problems and be willing to talk with inmates, she said.
“Remember, your brain works,” Brower said. “You should be able to step back and think. Their’s is not working.”
After Brower’s lecture, the deputies divided into two groups to run through the role-playing exercises. The exercises are based on real events that happen in jails.
Deputies take turns running through the drills while their peers watch. During timeouts, instructors and fellow deputies offer critiques.
Deputies encounter similar situations with adrenaline running and without knowing what to expect, Moore said. He expected the training to better prepare him for dealing with inmates on the cellblocks.
“I joined the Denver Sheriff Department to make a difference, and I believe this will make a difference,” the four-year veteran said of his training. “With normal human compassion, you want to help them as much as you can.”
