The Oswego Police Department is pleased to announce that it has completed a pledge taken in 2018 to improve their response to those living with mental illness in the community. The pledge is part of an initiative called the One Mind Campaign started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), a 30,000- member professional association for law enforcement that provides training, technical assistance, and recruitment services. To join the One Mind Campaign, law enforcement agencies must pledge to implement four promising practices in a 12-to-36 month period to ensure successful future interactions between police officers and persons with mental illness.
In the law enforcement community, mental illness has become a common focus, with some departments estimating that as many as 20% of their calls for service are related to mental health challenges. Oswego Chief Jeffrey Burgner made the decision to join the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s One Mind Campaign in order to improve the Department’s response to those living with mental illness in the community.
In completing the One Mind Pledge, the Oswego Police Department enhanced its partnership with the Kendall County Health Department and other mental health organizations in the community, developed and implemented policies and procedures to address officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness, and ensured that all of their officers were trained and certified in Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety, with at least 20% of the Department completing the more intensive Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). The 40-hour Crisis Intervention curriculum is designed by community agencies to train a team of specialized officers to respond to calls that involve individuals with mental health disorders such as depression or intellectual disability. The curriculum includes education on various de-escalation techniques as well as live role-play scenarios of officers responding to persons who need mental health assistance.
The Oswego Police Department is one of only 10 police agencies in Illinois to have completed the One Mind Campaign Pledge. For more information about the One Mind Campaign, visit the IACP’s website at www.theiacp.org/projects/one-mind-campaign. A list of all agencies who have taken the pledge is available there.
— Oswego Police Department