The Connecticut General Assembly's Public Safety Committee has been focused this session on mental health needs in law enforcement.  Kent state Representative Maria Horn, committee co-chair, says men and women in uniform face increased stress, PTSD, depression and higher rates of suicide, due both to the kind of traumatic events they respond to, and to the day to day strain of the job.  She notes that they are also tasked with increasing numbers of interactions with those suffering from mental health crises. 

Horn says a bill passed by the House on Wedensday offers the needed support, resources, and tools to address their own needs and those of the communities they serve.  The measure protects officers from penalties for seeking mental health services, it directs the creation of a training curriculum for police interactions with those with mental or physical disabilities, and those who are deaf, and creates a task force of officers and mental health professionals to study the needs, programs, and barriers to access to mental health services and training for law enforcement professionals.  

Horn says it also requires a study of 911 dispatch call data and an analysis of the percentage of calls more appropriate for the 211 system.