Midwest City Police Train For Encounters With Mentally Ill

Officers often respond to calls that involve someone with mental health issues, so metro police departments are training officers on how to handle suspects under these special circumstances.

Schizophrenics often hear voices in their head that are impossible to ignore. Sometimes those voices urge them to commit crimes. Officers at the Midwest City Police Department now undergo crisis intervention training that gives them a taste of what mentally ill suspects are experiencing.

Participants in the training wear earphones, and are constantly bombarded with voices telling them to do irrational and illegal things. The participants are then asked to perform everyday tasks, all while listening to the taunting voices.

Police say the training is a good way to help officers understand just how difficult it is for schizophrenics to focus and ignore the voices.

Learn more about new app that fights voices in your head