INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police officers at all nine of Indiana University’s campuses must be trained to spot a potential mental health crisis when responding to a call.

Lt. Brian Ray of Indiana University Police Department helps conduct the training. He said officers are not expected to diagnose anyone. “It can be complicated. We talk about anxiety attacks. An anxiety attack can mirror a heart attack, so, as a police officer, your first step is to call ambulance personnel and medical personnel to assure they’re not having a heart attack.”

All new officers and officers who come over from other departments are required to take the training within a year of being hired.

“That officer has the ability now to say, have you ever had any issues with anxiety or anything, here are some resources for you to look into that, because a lot of people are going through these things and they haven’t been diagnosed,” Ray said.

Officers may handle a call differently if they know someone is experiencing a mental health problem, and the situation can be de-escalated without using force.

This is especially valuable at Indiana University where many students are living away from home for the first time in their lives.

“With schizophrenia and things like that, the onset of that tends to be late teens early 20s where, with students who are between 18 and 25, they could be alone for the first time and way from family.”

Ray hopes other police departments adopt this training. It can also be used by officers to assess the mental health of their fellow colleagues.

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources