University of Central Florida Police Department
Building a Continuum of Care
A comprehensive approach to mental health with special focus on assessing homicidal threats must be the norm for a modern-day police department, especially campus law enforcement. At UCFPD, officers receive extensive mental health training to best serve a community grappling with the onset of mental health issues.
For UCFPD, which has seen its Baker Act numbers jump by 51 percent over the past 4 years, it’s more than having a small percentage of officers CIT trained. Nearly 100 percent of UCFPD officers have completed the full 40-hour CIT class, and all officers go through an in-house CIT refresher course that has since become a model for the region. Through this training and the cultivation of partnerships with everyone from student affairs to practitioners to local behavioral centers to federal law enforcement, UCF has created a continuum of community safety and wellness.
It’s a model that’s been tested and proven effective on our campus. Given the connection between mental health and armed attacks, law enforcement must prioritize a community “See Something, Say Something,” philosophy and follow up with well-trained, well-equipped personnel with keen understanding of mental health and threat assessment.