Technology Helps Police Look Through Eyes of Mentally Disturbed
A group of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) police officers in Memphis, Tenn., undergoing instruction on helping mentally ill people recently tried out software known as Virtual Hallucinations, which allowed the officers to hear and see what a schizophrenic individual might be experiencing, including visual hallucinations and voices. The officers wore earphones and goggles that were connected to the software.
In a virtual hallucination exercise, the CIT officers were able to recognize how an ordinary bus ride might be interpreted by a mentally ill individual as a frightening event.
CIT head Major Sam Cochran notes that the mentally disturbed individual is undergoing something that is highly threatening, and could be regarding a police officer as “a devil,” or think the voices are instructing him to not trust the officer.
Memphis’ CIT was among the first of its type in the nation, starting in 1988 as a joint venture between police and mental health authorities following numerous violent situations. Since then, at least 500 other cities have implemented the model. There are around 220 Memphis officers instructed as CIT specialists, and they receive around 12,000 calls annually, on top of their regular responses to service calls.
The Virtual Hallucinations technology was provided by the Memphis Police Department and additional agencies, including the Bartlett and Millington police.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Associated Press (10/27/06); Conley, Chris.
