NORTON SHORES, Mich. — A west Michigan law enforcement agency beefed up its response to crisis, but not with force.
The Norton Shores Police Department announced a new certification that's been years in the works and it focuses on mental health.
Chief Jon Gale knew his department had to get better. For years he noticed his officers would respond to the same individuals 17 to 20 different times.
"Quite often it would escalate into dangerous situations, not only for the officer, but the people involved," Chief Gale told FOX 17.
When Chief Gale was introduced to the One Mind Campaign, he knew that's what he wanted for his department.
The campaign certification is a promise to enhance engagement with people with mental health conditions. That is now showcased across NSPD.
100 percent of the more than 30 officers are educated in mental health response and 20 percent are expert level trained in crisis intervention.
The campaign's list of requirements includes a partnership with a community health organization. That's where Health West comes in; it's the area's behavioral health connection.
Local headlines and violent body cam videos of police interactions have contributed to Heather Wiegand's desire to improve those relations. She serves as the Clinical Services Manager at Health West.
She calls the jail Muskegon County's largest mental health facility, but she hopes to change that and even divert from the judicial system in many interactions.
Wiegand added, "We are going to walk right alongside them through that whole experience to minimize any trauma that they may have experienced otherwise."
While all of the Norton Shores officers are trained to recognize mental health conditions that may previously been handled with force, a team of two professionals from Health West can now be at their disposal in a quick phone call.
That can ultimately avoid those repeated visits for Chief Gale's officers.
While NSPD got the certificate last week the work didn't just start. Between October 2021 and July 2022, NSPD made 328 referrals to Health West.
Both Health West and the Norton Shores Police Department hope to achieve a county wide status with the One Mind Campaign and they say it's well on its way.
Two other west Michigan agencies have the certification: Battle Creek Police and Portage Department of Public Safety.
