Community College of Baltimore County campus officers train in mental health first aid
CATONSVILLE, Md. Nov 2 2019
According to a recent survey from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 1 in 5 university students deal with anxiety or depression. It is one of the reasons why local campus law enforcement officers are heading back to the classroom for training.
It’s called mental health first aid, and it’s showing up on college campuses around the region, including the Community College of Baltimore County.
Members of the CCBC campus police who recently completed the specialized training course in mental health first aid said they learned new ways of engaging with students who may be dealing with a mental health crisis.
“We have to come in contact with them, and sometimes they have issues that come about while they are here on campus and we have to be better-prepared to address those issues properly,” said Vernell Shaheed-Levrone, director of public safety at CCBC.
CCBC students said they support the extra level of law enforcement training.
“There are a lot of people that don’t talk about it and they just fight out in and they just go outside and smile, and we need to let them know we are there for them,” CCBC student Miria Quinoen said.
“So the fact that public safety now has training for it can decrease the suicide rate. So many people feel like there is no one they can turn to and that’s what leads to the suicide rate coming up,” CCBC student Akira Tisdale said.
For CCBC student Marion Williams, mental health is personal.
“As a student who suffers with mental health illness myself, my go-to hashtag is #IAmTheFace of anxiety and depression, and also my son suffered with it,” Williams said.
CCBC said recent police mental health training will go a long way toward improving the school’s ability to respond to a crisis in a timely and effective manner.
“They’re the ones reaching out to us, saying, ‘Look I need someone to work with the student to get them to the hospital or we need to get them to some campus resources,'” said Lori Meehan, CCBC student conduct administrator.
School officials expect this will become a part of their regular training, not just for law enforcement officers, but for other school personnel, as well.
