ORLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) - The Orland Park Police Department outside Chicago has established a crisis intervention team to help people suffering from severe mental illness and keep them out of jail.
The Daily Southtown reports (https://trib.in/1FIISGF) the team consists of 11 patrol officers. The officers have regular policing duties, but they are the ones who respond when there a person appears to be having a mental health crisis.
That’s when they put their 40 hours of special training to work. They might spend more time than usual talking to a person having a mental health crisis.
The program is a response to the closure of Tinley Park Mental Health Center and a subsequent increase in involuntary commitments for treatment.
The crisis team officially launched in February.
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Information from: Southtown Star, https://southtownstar.chicagotribune.com/
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