A MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
 

Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis A United Way Agency

In this issue . . .

by Gail Crane, Unit Manager of the St. Louis County Probate Division.

Effective August 28, 2007, the State of Missouri must report information to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Criminal Records Division about persons who are prohibited from carrying firearms or ammunition under federal law. This information is then forwarded to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). 

Under the federal law, there are categories of persons who cannot carry a firearm or ammunition. The probate court handles cases for two of those categories:

• persons who have been declared incapacitated and disabled

• persons who have been involuntarily committed for 21 days to a mental health facility by reason of mental illness or alcohol and/or drug abuse  

Required information on these two categories of cases is documented electronically at the individual court level. 

How does the information get to the state repository?  Much of the required information was already being entered into Missouri’s case management computer system – JIS (Justice Information System). Specific information must be found on those cases under the federal categories – first name, last name, gender, either the date of birth or social security number, and certain docket codes – in order to pull the information from JIS. JIS uses unique identifiers for people in the system. These identifiers are:

• first three letters of the last name
• first letter of the first name
• middle initial
• last four digits of the social security number

Some people are hesitant to provide social security numbers because of the chance of identity theft. This “identifying” information is kept confidential, and once it is entered into the system, any written record is destroyed by shredding. Additionally, only certain court personnel have access to the screen showing the personal data. 

Each Monday and Thursday, including state holidays, the Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA) electronically extracts the information on cases where a petition is filed and the court orders that person involuntarily committed for 21 days to a mental facility. This does not include a person in a mental facility for 96-hour observation or a voluntary admission. Information is extracted on cases where the person has been declared fully incapacitated and disabled. Limited incapacity or limited disability cases will only be included if the Judge has ordered federal firearms prohibition. The data is forwarded electronically to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. 

Does this ban ever go away?  The federal firearms prohibition is a “lifetime prohibition” which means that even if the individual is released from the involuntary commitment or found to be restored to competency, they still cannot possess firearms or ammunition.  Even if their firearm rights have been restored under state law, this does not affect the federal Gun Control Act application.  If the person was involuntarily committed prior to the date of this law, the way it was written, they would still be prohibited once the information of that commitment is entered into the system. 

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, which became effective January 8, 2008, allows States to establish a “relief-from-disabilities” program, which, if granted relief by a State, the commitment or determination of incapacity and disability is considered not to have occurred. Currently, Missouri does not have an established “relief-from-disabilities” statute. 

Editor’s note: As stated in Gail Crane’s article, the process for entering and extracting data has not always been in place. The Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA), which is referenced in Gail’s article, supplied the following addendum, provided by Nancy Griggs, Division Director of Court Services at the Office of State Courts Administrator in Jefferson City. 

The automated system to send involuntary commitment records from the courts to NICS is being written. The first extract of involuntary commitment cases should be scheduled for no later than the end of April 2008. The first extract will report all historic involuntary commitment cases that have the necessary reporting elements (first name, last name, gender, either the date of birth or social security number). Court information on incapacitated and disabled cases has been reported from courts using JIS since spring 2006.

 

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CIT Corner appears regularly in Street Talk.

Many times in the criminal justice process we forget about one of the most important interventions in police response, the call taker/dispatcher. This first contact with the consumer or family member can set the tone for the rest of the intervention. Officer safety depends on it. During 2007, the St. Louis County Police Department recognized several members of the Bureau of Communications for their performance in answering calls concerning a mental health crisis. Awards of Excellence were presented to Sgt. Michael Amrein, Public Safety Dispatchers Sean Murphy, Shannon Kloos, and Jane Rogers. Our greatest appreciation goes out to these dedicated individuals who make CIT response more effective. The St. Louis County & Municipal Police Academy offers call taker training for dispatchers or communications personnel. 

P.O. Charles Haas, a veteran officer with UM-St. Louis Police Department completed the CIT training in July 2007. In August, he wrote his opinion of the training, “Barry, you got me. You taught an old dog new tricks. I must admit I did have some reservations about the CIT Training a couple of months ago. After 30 years of police work, along comes a program that actually works the way it is supposed to function. I had a call for a subject threatening suicide. The subject was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, hearing voices telling him to kill himself and was also a cocaine user. I used techniques from the class, defused the situation, got compliance from him and got him admitted to DePaul Hospital. The cooperation from the medical staff was fantastic. I was in and out of the hospital in 20 minutes which included time for the affidavit.”

Chief Tom Becker, Frontenac Police Department, wrote, “CIT Officers Ken Easler and Jeremy Newton were responsible for intervening in a domestic dispute wherein the husband had taken steps towards suicide. Because of their talents, the husband got the help he needed and has called the officers on two occasions. Once to thank them for saving his life and marriage, and a more recent call to tell them he had just completed a milestone – 30 days sober in AA. I’m very proud of these officers, and thought you should hear more about the results of their efforts.”

Upcoming CIT Training

• The St. Louis Area CIT Council is offering basic 40-hour CIT training to departments in St. Louis County on the weeks of July 14^th and October 20^th.  Contact Sgt. Armfield for registration information at 314-628-5509.  

• The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Trainings are the weeks of May 5^th, September 8^th and December 1^st.  Registration should be requested through their CIT Supervisor/Coordinator.  

For questions or comments, I can be contacted at barmfield@stlouisco.com.

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Between January and March, 2008, 128 officers in St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren Counties, and the City of St. Louis completed the 40-hour CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) program. Congratulations to the newest CIT graduates.

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Editor’s note:  In the Limelight is normally reserved for commissioned officers. However, the Street Talk Advisory Board felt strongly that this edition should highlight two individuals who have contributed to the area’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program and who were recognized as Volunteers of the Year at the annual 2007 CIT Dinner. 

Jim Pace has contributed significantly to the CIT program since it began in 2003. He participates on a regular basis as a member of the Consumer and Family Perspectives Panel at the 40-hour program. Jim’s courage and humor provide valuable insights into a population that is often misunderstood. He does this by sharing his personal journey as someone living successfully with mental illness. Jim’s willingness to share his story in the spirit of education and understanding has made an impact on hundreds of officers. As stated by Dan Buck, emcee of the dinner’s award presentations, “The CIT Coordinating Council is pleased to express its appreciation for Jim’s valuable service to the St. Louis Area Crisis Intervention Team Program. Congratulations for receiving our 2007 Volunteer of the Year Award, an award you much deserve.” 

LaDonna Haley was also recognized for contributions to the CIT Program. Ms. Haley serves on the CIT Coordinating Council and its Executive Committee.  Active on the Training Committee, she helps plan CIT courses, as well as identify and recruit trainers. LaDonna also presents a module at the training sessions, facilitates the Family & Consumer Perspectives Panel, and participates in dozens of Role Play sessions at the basic training and continuing education courses. She is also active on the committee which organizes and hosts the annual Appreciation Awards Dinner. Congratulations to LaDonna for being recognized as one of the 2007 Volunteers of the Year.

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By Joe Yancey, Executive Director of Community Alternatives in St. Louis, who has worked in the field of community mental health for over 25 years, primarily in the St. Louis area.