Evaluation Results from SWAT Officers trained by NAMI DuPage

By Pat Doyle & Mary Dalton

Lt. Tom Szalinski, Commander of the DuPage County Sheriff’s SWAT team, visited the NAMI DuPage office in January to request training on mental illness for the members of his Special Operations Unit.

Thirty-three SWAT officers from six police departments attended the 2 hour training in March.  The presentation consisted of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, challenges of navigating a fragmented mental health system, stigma, and medication side effects.  They participated in a simulation of audio hallucinations (hearing voices) through the use of MP3 players and headsets, and heard first-hand accounts of individuals’ interactions with police while they were symptomatic.

The SWAT officers’ evaluations stated they had been unaware that NAMI resources were available.  They also said that as a result of the presentation they learned new techniques to de-escalate a situation and now have a different perspective on how to help those in crisis. They indicated that they found the handouts useful to bring back to their police departments.  In fact, they would like to have packets of NAMI information available in their squad cars tor distribution.

It was clear that the overall consensus was that this presentation needs to be expanded to police academies, all law enforcement agencies, and courthouse personnel.  They now clearly understand the crucial role that law enforcement has in providing assistance to individuals in crisis.

A special thank you to Debbie Homan and Mary Dalton for presenting their stories that made such an impact on the officers and helped reduce the stigma surrounding these illnesses.