1. Veterans in crisis; a CIT Specialty Captain C
Veterans in crisis; a CIT Specialty Captain C. Blair Myhand CIT International Conference Chicago, Illinois April 26, 2016
Introduction
Joined US Army in 1987
Joined Army National Guard in 1993
First MPD responder to Pentagon on September 11, 2001
Deployed to Afghanistan (Recon Platoon Sergeant)
Deployed to Iraq
Retired in February 2011

2. Training Objectives
Recognize the dangers of veteran/law enforcement encounters during a crisis.
Understand the concept of the program and the curriculum of the training.
What’s next?

3. Why Police Officers and Veterans in Crisis collide.
Some veterans may experience a service related crisis and act out in a manner inconsistent with his/her “normal” behavior.
When these crises happen, police are often the first ones to respond to and deal with the crisis incident.
Because all military veterans have been trained with “battlemind” at one level or another, the dangerous of these encounters is elevated.
Battlemind is the mental state that service members develop when preparing to face fear and adversity in combat with courage.

4. Just a few examples…
April 2016, Police shot and killed a Veteran who attacked and injured an officer by slashing him with a knife. NY
April 2016, Police shot and killed a Veteran who fired at officers near the scene of another shooting where another man was wounded. NV
March 2016, an Army Sergeant killed his wife and then shot and killed Officer Ashley Guindon on her second day on the job. VA
March 2016, a veteran with PTSD shot and killed his wife and two kids before setting the house on fire and killing himself as officers arrived. PA
March 2016, a veteran died after he doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in front of a VA clinic. NJ
March 2016, a veteran fired a shotgun at SWAT officers before he was shot and killed by a police sniper. NY
March 2016, Deputies shot and killed an active duty Soldier after he approached officers in a threatening manner and appeared to be armed. MD
February 2016, a veteran entered the home of an off-duty Police Officer and shot and killed the officer following a domestic dispute. CA

5. Here’s what we already know:
Veteran service related issues are real;
Encounters between veterans in crisis and law enforcement are often dangerous and/or deadly;
Most people can empathize, but few actually understand the difficulties veterans experience due to military service;
We know more can be done to reduce the risks and help veterans connect with available resources.

6. Traditional Response
Involves dispatching a CIT officer(s) to respond to a mental related call for service. However, for a veteran, talking to someone who has not served can be difficult. They may not feel others understand or can relate to their feelings and/or experiences. A trained CIT officer, who is also a military veteran, might more easily relate and communicate with a veteran in a crisis because of their similar and/or shared experiences. That being said, simply being a veteran does not ensure success, nor does not being a veteran ensure failure. Think about how to best break the cycle for the benefit of the veteran and public safety personnel.

7. Video

8. Can we do better?
How can we leverage the shared consciousness of military service in a way that increases our success during a crisis?
Can we reduce the risk to officers and the veteran through enhanced training?
Can this concept be applied to any police department? In any city in America? The world?
If so, how do we train police officers, who are military veterans, to connect with veterans to avoid deadly outcomes?

9. ViC Response Training
Is a post CIT specialty class for all interested military veteran, law enforcement officers.
This is a 16 hour block of instruction focused on veteran specific issues and resources.
A pool of qualified officers can then be deployed to assist agencies who may not have this resource within their own ranks.
Close coordination and buy-in from local agency leaders is critical.

10. Wake County Veterans CIT Training
Day 1
Day 2
Welcome, Icebreaker, Introductions
Resource Fair
Substance Abuse
Stigma
Trauma (PTSD, Sexual, TBi)
Veterans Justice Outreach
Veterans Homelessness
Role Plays
Veterans Suicidality
Wrap Session
Survivors Guilt
Graduation
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

11. Class Statistics to date
Forty-two (42) veterans have been trained in two classes (Sep 2015 and Mar 2016);
Eight (8) county agencies have participated;
Students are now ambassadors within their own agencies;
Media was present and interviewed participants and volunteers.

12. Going Forward
Adjustments have been made to the instruction based upon student evaluations;
A steering committee will maintain course standards and student selection criteria;
A no-cost train-the-trainer course has been developed to help other law enforcement agencies create their own programs
The class is being scheduled for September 2016.

13. Contact Information
Captain C. Blair Myhand
Apex Police Department
205 Saunders Street
Apex, North Carolina 27502
(919) cell, (919) office

14. Comments / Feedback