The Way I See It!

Cudahy Citizens Police Academy - Week 5 Part 2

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on May 6, 2010

Citizen Police Academy, Cudahy, Police

Mental Commitments of Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 51.15 and the demonstration of the Cudahy Tactical Unit.

Just as Cudahy has more than its share of Domestic Violence cases, Cudahy has a disproportionate amount of Chapter 51.15 cases.

Understanding people with mental issues can be hard.  There is no definitive way to effectively communicate with seriously deranged people!

It can sound cruel or as a put off and it isn’t, but it is what it is.

We have between 175-250 cases per year in Cudahy.  Some because of poor communication, St. Luke’s South Shore Hospital in our jurisdiction, heavy drinking in Cudahy, our proximity to Milwaukee and Cudahy’s prescription drug problems.

There is also Chapter 51.45 which is incapacitated by alcohol. 

Things to consider on Chapter 51.15

Do they want to kill self?

Do they want to kill someone else?

Act so ridiculous like taking 20 Tylenols, yet denying being suicidal

Cannot care for themselves

Emergency Detentions (EDS) are placed in protective custody can be searched and handcuffed and have a doctor within a 24-hour period check them out and decide if there is reason to do a 72 hr hold before a hearing is held.

The forth floor of South Shore Hospital is for voluntary mental treatment.

Some people show super human strength in what is called “Excited Delirium”.

MUTT team (Mobile Urgent Treatment Team)

Staffed by a team consisting of a psychologists, social workers, nurses, case manager and consulting physician, the Mobile Urgent Treatment Team provides crisis intervention services on a 24 hour basis to families enrolled in the Wraparound Milwaukee Program.  In fact, this team provides services to any family in Milwaukee County with a child who is having a mental health crisis when the behavior of the child threatens his or her removal from home, school, etc. 

The MUTT team goes to where the crisis is occurring, assesses the situation, determines if the child's behavior or mental health condition can be met with interventions in the home or whether temporary placement in a crisis group home or other emergency setting is required.  The MUTT team also assesses whether the child's behavior constitutes a danger to that child or others requiring possible psychiatric inpatient hospitalization.

In addition to crisis intervention services, the Team can provide short-term case management and can link the child and family to other community services.  The MUTT team oversees the operation of an 8-bed crisis/respite group home, which can serve as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or resource for the child to transition from the inpatient facility.

Operating hours for MUTT is 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and from 1:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  During all other hours, MUTT can be reached by telephone through an on-call system.

Next, we watched as the Cudahy Tactical Unit did a demo on entering and sweeping a home and a car.  It was an awesome demo to see how effective this unit is and how well they train as a team.  It is simply something you have to witness to understand.