WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Mental health professionals are being added in Washtenaw County in an effort to bring future SWAT situations to an end without anyone getting hurt.
Licensed mental health professionals Jessica Halliday, Sarah Stewart, Nicole Muraca, Christine Holston and Katie Hoener of Washtenaw County Community Mental Health are joining the Washtenaw Metro Crisis Negotiation Team, Nov. 1, to assist in bringing SWAT situations to a peaceful end, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derrick Jackson said.
The Crisis Negotiation Team, which works with the county’s SWAT team, is currently made of 12 officers from the sheriff’s office and the Ann Arbor Police Department who have been trained on negotiation techniques to bring threatening situations to a peaceful end, but they are not mental health professionals and lack their expertise, Jackson said.
The crisis team reaching out to Community Mental Health for the majority of the incidents they’ve been called to, combined with the pervasiveness of suspects suffering a mental health crisis during a situation, led to the formation of the joint endeavor, Jackson said.
The mental health professionals provide assessments on suspects’ potential risk of violence or suicide, can monitor the team’s stress at the scene and provide a thorough debriefing of the situation once the incident has concluded, he said.
As licensed professionals, they can also access medical and mental health records that law enforcement cannot access which allows them a limited ability to share helpful information on a suspect during a health and safety crisis, Jackson said.
“The new members will be able to function in all the roles of the team, with the exception of gathering intel at the scene as they don’t have law enforcement training,” said Sgt. Eugene Rush, Washtenaw County Sheriff Community Engagement and Crisis Negotiation team member. “Their expertise will help de-escalate the situation and assist the suspect in finding mental help. It’s a win-win.”
The new members added to the team will attend the FBI’s negotiation school, a basic 40-hour course, as well as attend all yearly team training events, Jackson said.
The SWAT team handled eight barricaded suspect situations in 2018 with one incident ending with the man dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a 14-hour standoff with police.
Those experiencing thoughts of suicide can get help from:
· The 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Military veterans press #1.
· The Ozone House, a 24-hour hotline for youth, at 734-662-2222.
· The 24-hour hotline at University of Michigan Psychiatric Emergency Services at 734-936-5900.
· The Washtenaw County Community Mental Health crisis team at 734-544-3050.