Mental health group honors Bangor officer

Paul Edwards, a 19-year veteran of the Bangor Police Department, says more of his colleagues should learn the techniques of defusing tense situations involving people with mental illness.

Over the past year and a half, the Bangor native has organized weeklong classes aimed at de-escalating potential violence or trauma.

His students have been police, emergency medical providers, security staff and others whose daily work may bring them into contact with the mentally ill or others in acute agitation.

For his work, Edwards has been honored by the Maine chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, a leading advocacy group that sponsors the Crisis Intervention Training program, or CIT, for law enforcement officials.

Each year, NAMI-Maine gives official recognition to various Maine people whose work on behalf of the mentally ill rises to the level of excellence, said Executive Director Carol Carothers.

Nominations come from throughout the state and include those who work in law enforcement as well as educators, health care providers, corrections officials and others.

In addition to Edwards, this year’s awardees include:

. The Piscataquis County Jail Diversion Collaborative, a group of criminal justice, law enforcement, legal, and mental health service professionals who have provided volunteer treatment in the jail and started one of the nation’s first CIT programs in a rural area.

. Barbara Pineau, director of special education in Madawaska schools, who was recognized for making mental health a priority issue in the schools and providing training and support to students, teachers, staff and families.

Edwards said in an interview that it’s part of his job with Bangor police to help CIT trainees identify the fine line between “softening up” and relinquishing the control and decisive response that might be needed if an encounter spirals out of control.

“It’s a no-brainer that cops should not always be so hands-on, that they should be able to use their voices and their presence to resolve some situations,” Edwards said Wednesday. But, he said, many police officers fear losing control over a situation if they allow themselves to respond to a potentially violent or self-destructive person with kindness instead of taking a more coercive approach.

CIT courses are taught with the participation of local mental health workers and typically involve some basic classroom time learning about mental illness as well as field visits to area homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other places where mental illness is a frequent visitor. Trainees also participate in role-playing exercises where they get to try out techniques such as lowering their voices, holding themselves in a nonthreatening posture and expressing empathy.

“Saying something as simple as ‘You really seem to feel bad about that’ can really break the tension,” Edwards said. “I use these techniques every day, and not just with people who are mentally ill but anyone who’s upset and agitated. People need to understand that I’m not there to hurt them or judge them just because I carry a gun and a badge.”

Other Maine awardees this year are:

. Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills of Cornville, for her years of oversight of the settlement agreement between the Augusta Mental Health Institute and a group of patients, as well as for her stewardship of a special court that serves people with mental illness and substance abuse problems.

. Elizabeth Simoni of Gardiner, executive director of Maine PreTrial Services, for her work on behalf of inmates with mental illness.

. Channel Six Alive and Well, a southern Maine television series that has focused on the potential for recovery from mental illness.

. Kim Perham of York, whose leadership of local NAMI programs has countered ignorance and stigma and improved the quality of life of people living with mental illness.

For information about this year’s awards or other NAMI-Maine activities, visit www.namimaine.org.