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Police and the Mentally Ill

four12/Flickr via Creative Commons

People with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians approached by law enforcement. That’s the finding of a study last year by the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center. Today, we talk about how training can help police recognize the signs of mental illness and de-escalate tense situations. We speak to retired Major Sam Cochran, who founded a crisis intervention model that addresses the special challenges to law enforcement posed by persons with mental illness. And we hear from Lt. Steven Thomas and Jen Corbin, director of Anne Arundel County's Crisis Response System, about how the county is connecting police and mental health professionals with the greater community.

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Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.