Memphis police on intervention program for mentally ill

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Minneapolis police officers are in Memphis this week, training to handle cases involving the mentally ill. The training is the first step towards developing a program similar to one that exists in Memphis, where 165 police officers make up a special crisis intervention team trained to de-escalate confrontations with mentally disturbed individuals. Earlier this week, police in Minneapolis shot and killed a man with serious mental illness after he reportedly sped toward police in a car. It was the third such incident this year. The Memphis police re-examined how they handled incidents involving the mentally ill after a man with a bi-polar disorder was shot to death by an officer in 1987. Public outcry prompted the creation of the Memphis Police Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT. Lt. Sam Cochran, coordinator of the program, says it's good for the police, the mentally ill and the city.

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