Advocates Praise West Push on Police Crisis Intervention Training

(Springfield, IL) – One of Illinois’ top behavioral health advocacy groups is praising State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) for legislation that seeks to establish mental health crisis intervention training for police officers throughout the state.

“Rep. West’s bill would forge a collaborative effort between law enforcement and behavioral health professionals to reduce unintended risk of violent or deadly encounters between police and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO Jud DeLoss. “We applaud Rep. West for introducing this bill because it benefits both officers and individuals working to overcome mental health challenges.”

West’s proposal, House Bill 28, aims to authorize at least 40-hours of certified training programming in crisis intervention for law enforcement officer recruits. The crisis training programs would be a collaboration between law enforcement professionals, mental health providers, families, and consumer advocates, according to the legislation.

The bill, co-sponsored by State Reps. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) and Nicholas Smith (D-Chicago), would also allocate $5 from fines imposed on individuals convicted of any criminal or traffic law violations to fund the crisis training program envisioned in West’s legislation.

“This legislation is thoughtful on both the program and funding sides of the public policy ledger,” said DeLoss. “We look forward to being vocal proponents of Rep. West’s plan.”

The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com