TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — All emergency calls received by 9-1-1 operators can differ.
“Mental health calls are every day — we get them multiple times a day," said Cody Close with the Temple Police Department.
"They are very unique of how we have to handle them because we don’t know exactly what we are going into."
This calls for special training — Crisis Intervention and De-Escalating Training takes 48 hours total for Temple police officers, and it's been a requirement since 2018.
“There’s a big difference between being a drug user having a mental health crisis and just being upset, so the training that we get really helps us identify that,” Close said.
From January to November, Temple PD has received over 300 calls related to mental health crises.
Although every officer receives training there is only one co-responder who works alongside the officers responding to concerns.
Officers say that their position to help people through mental health crises plays a major role in the force.
“Having her available so that I can call her at any time has given me peace of mind that I can help more of our community members who are suffering from mental health crises get more of the help they need,” Close said.
It’s a team effort to help neighbors in need.
“We will send out a negotiator with our mental health co-responder to talk that person down,” Close said.
With calls like this every day and a growing population including homeless, and vets with mental health issues Officer Close says she hopes another co-responder gets to join the team.
“Our proximity to the behavioral centers like Canon Creek Behavioral — Cedar Crest," Close said.
"It puts a burden on this city when it comes to providing those mental health resources — she’s only one person."
