Police put emphasis on suicide prevention training

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Mount Pleasant law enforcement agencies all have training and experience dealing with suicide attempts and dispatch calls.

Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley said he only sees about one or two suicides per year with his job. He said the numbers are extremely low, and he credits the communication, the intervention and the interaction CMU Residence Life staff has with students living in the residence halls.

“They’re able to see if someone is having some difficulties long before it gets to the point of someone feeling like suicide might be the answer,” Yeagley said. “We have a great counseling center here on campus that is available (free) to all of our students. I think all of that contributes to keeping our response to actual suicide attempts very, very low.”

Mount Pleasant Police officers have been trained in conflict-resolution skills early on in their police careers, said Yeagley, former director of public safety.

“The officers have a great track record of being able to work with individuals to calm them down (and) help them get to the right resources to deal with it long-term,” he said.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department receives its training for handling suicide situations from Community Mental Health for Central Michigan.

“We have our deputies and corrections officers receive training from Community Mental Health, where they do training from suicidal subjects and how to recognize if there’s a possible suicidal person,” Mioduszewski said.

Public Information Officer Jeff Browne of Mount Pleasant Police said each suicide situation is handled on a case-by-case scenario.

“Our first and foremost concern is the safety of all the citizens including the individuals contemplating suicide,” Browne said. “When we get there, the first thing we try to do is to get the situation under control and to get that person the help they need.”

Yeagley said there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to dealing with suicide situations, especially when involves students.

It’s key to understand what method they are contemplating for their suicide, their location and if others are near the person, which could dictate a response.

Mioduszewski said good organizations to contact if people do intend to commit suicide include Listening Ear and CMHCM.

“They will be able to provide services if you need help. Community Mental Health is another place that has counselors available who work with individuals that are contemplating suicide or feel they can’t get out of a situation,” Mioduszewski said. “We encourage people to do that when they start feeling that bad.”