Portland Police Officers are sharing personal stories about mental illness in their families as part of the Bureau’s new crisis intervention training scheme, unveiled today.

The new training, developed by Lieutenant Sara Westbrook in co-ordination with Cascadia Mental Health and Central City Concern was described this morning as “the new model CIT program for the nation” by the Mental Health Association’s Jason Renaud. “That idea of cops talking to cops about their own stuff breaks down all sorts of barriers,” he said. WESTBROOK: “Person-centered”

Westbrook says she wanted to overhaul the training to provide a more “person-centered” model, and that part of her effort has been to break down cops’ resistance to learning in the classes. “I think, the received message [from the cops’ personal testimony] is, there is no us and them,” she said. “Mental illness crosses all across society.”

“But I’m already coming on an obstacle where I have got a class full of people who’ve heard a message that ‘you’re doing something wrong, and now I’ve got to fix you,’” she added later—explaining her decision to keep the classes closed to outsiders, for now.

The un-named Cops’ personal testimonies, along with those of mental health service users, are being delivered in video format as part of the 40-hour training now being received by all cops, after Mayor Tom Potter stumped up $500,000 to fund the training in November following community pressure related to the Chasse incident.