Hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Vera Institute of Justice
Date: Thursday, July 18
Time: 1–2:15 p.m. ET
Law enforcement officers frequently come in contact with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) but often do not receive specialized training on how to identify and interact with people with I/DD. The more knowledge officers have on this topic, the more successful they can be when identifying the disability and communicating with people with I/DD. This webinar provides 10 practical tips officers can use to effectively serve this population. Additionally, the webinar presenters will share information about how officers can seek further training through the “Pathways to Justice” law enforcement module.
During the webinar, participants will hear from the Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities team–a collaborative effort between BJA, the Vera Institute of Justice, and partners in the fields of policing, mental illness, I/DD, crisis intervention, peer advocacy, emergency medicine, technology development, and prosecution.
Webinar presenters will include:
- Leigh Ann Davis, Director, The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability;
- Ben Melendrez, Detective of the Crisis Intervention Unit, Albuquerque, Arizona Police Department;
- Leah Pope, Program Director, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program, Vera Institute of Justice;
- James Turner, Senior Police Officer and Crisis Intervention Training Officer, Austin, Texas Police Department.
Register for the webinar today. This webinar is open to all criminal justice professionals, so please feel free to share with your network.
For additional information or questions about this webinar, please contact the BJA National Training and Technical Assistance Center at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov or 1-855-BJA-NTTAC (1-855-252-8822).
Source: JusticeCenter