9 investigates need for more mental health crisis training for police

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Local advocates said more law enforcement officers across the state should be trained to deal with people with mental health issues.

Channel 9 learned there are a dozen counties in North Carolina where not one officer has specialized training.

Eyewitness News investigated the challenges some said leave police and those they're called to help vulnerable.

It's been more than a year since CMPD officers responded to a domestic call in North Charlotte that ended with them shooting and killing 20-year-old Janisha Fonville.

"It hurts to know the situation escalated to that point," community advocate Ashley Williams said.

Williams said she's trying to keep Fonville's story in the spotlight and push for answers through the Justice for Janisha Facebook page.

When officers arrived on the scene in 2015, Fonville's girlfriend said she told them Fonville needed a mental health evaluation. Moments later, officers said she lunged at them with a knife. The officer who fired shots at her was cleared.

"Very, very tragic and, of course, we never want to see a tragedy happen. It becomes a rallying cry for us to do better," said Jack Register, executive director of North Carolina's Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Register said officers need more crisis intervention training, or CIT, to help prevent violent clashes with police and keep people out of jail who really need help.

Click play to watch more on CIT training

Officers selected for CIT training receive 40 hours of specialized training to learn how to de-escalate situations with people experiencing behavioral problems. Register said that includes a lot of people.

"We all know someone living with a mental illness," he said.

NAMI reports one in four adults will experience mental illness in a given year and one in 17 lives with serious mental illness.

In February 2016, Catawba County deputies shot and killed Alijah Jackson after an altercation.

In April 2016, CMPD officers responded to calls about a suicidal man and after negotiating with Sylasone Ackhavong, they said he raised a gun. Officers shot and killed him.

Families of both men reported histories of mental health problems.

Register said the specialized training won't prevent all tragedies, but the state is making progress, just not fast enough.

Eyewitness News anchor Brittney Johnson asked Register if there are enough officers trained.

“No, no there are not enough officers trained -- today there are not enough services available,” he said.

Channel 9 looked through the most recent data from 2014 and found in some counties, more than 50 percent of officers are trained and 12 counties do not have any CIT-trained officers.

Among Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, 335 officers are already trained and the department trains 90 more each year.

After Fonville's death, they increased training for dispatchers.

"CIT is not going to change every outcome of every situation but it can, if it can get people the help they need it is a success,” CMPD Community Wellness Lt. Christian Wagner said.

Williams hopes the awareness and conversation will help prevent other calls for help from ending in tragedy.

"I hope this additional training ultimately saves people’s lives,” Williams said.

The state CIT Task Force is developing ways to address gaps in CIT program implementation.

CMPD is participating in the Mecklenburg County CIT Community Awareness and Prevention Event on Saturday. They're inviting the public to come learn more about the local CIT initiative and how to work with law enforcement to strengthen their response to behavioral crises.

• Date/Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
• Location: Project 658
• Address: 3646 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205

Registration is required. CLICK HERE for more.

Cox Media Group