LA CROSSE POLICE COMPLETE THE ONE MIND CAMPAIGN PLEDGE

The La Crosse Police Department is pleased to announce that they have completed the pledge they took to improve their response to those living with a mental illness in the community. The pledge is a part of an initiative called the One Mind Campaign which was 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 pledge to implement four promising practices within a 12-36-month period to ensure successful future interactions between police officers and persons living 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 declines. Chief Kudron stated the department made the decision to join the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s One Mind Campaign because, “it was a way for our department to better serve those in crisis or who are living with a mental illness.”

In completing the one Mind Pledge, the Lacrosse Police Department established sustainable partnerships with local mental health organizations, developed and implemented a model policy to address officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness, ensured all of their officers were trained in Mental Health First Aid, and at least twenty percent of the department had completed the Crisis Intervention Training. Crisis Intervention 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.

Chief Kudron made the following statement on the completion of the One Mind Campaign Pledge, “When working with those individuals in our community who are in crisis or living with a mental illness, we are giving our officers the tools to assist in finding the best solutions which truly help a person. This pledge has allowed our agency to enhance the training provided to staff and allow them to respond appropriately as well as helping members in the community feel like the police are there to support them and help them in their time of need. We also found the One Mind Campaign to align with our mission; Leaders in providing a safe and vibrant community.”

For more information about the One Mind Campaign, please visit the IACP’s website:

http://www.theiacp.org/onemindcampaign/. A list of all agencies who have taken the pledge is also available there.