E-LEARNING

The Call: Serving Those with Behavioral and Cognitive Disabilities

The Call: Serving Those with Behavioral and Cognitive Disabilities, an eLearning course designed as a video-based simulation, provides learners with an opportunity to assume the roles of three different law enforcement officers in an interactive movie, make decisions for these officers, and experience the consequences of their choices. The course trains officers on best practices for the recognition and response to incidents involving civilians with mental illness. Topics include properly assessing the situation, effective communication techniques, active listening, de-escalation, and crisis intervention.

LEARNING HOURS: 1 HOUR

Title slide for the course with images from left to right of a male officer, female officer, and male officer.

Arizona POST Approved Course
AZPOST Approval 22-347
AZPOST does not require the standard approval form for this course; however, if you would like one, please contact AZPOST directly at [email protected].

Course Overview

This course continues the advancement of community policing by further enhancing mental illness training for law enforcement professionals through eLearning. The choose-your-own-journey approach of this course allows learners to assume the role of playable characters in an interactive simulation. Playing as three different officers in three different scenarios, learners experience in real time the feeling of responding to calls involving individuals with cognitive or behavioral conditions that may cause impairment. Each module (Introduction, Knowing the Signs, and Crisis Intervention) challenges learners to make quick decisions in response to the situations unfolding in front of them. Learners then experience the consequences of their choices. This course provides all law enforcement professionals, from new officers to seasoned veterans, best practice recommendations from leading experts in the field of mental health awareness and response.

Target Audience

Law enforcement personnel.

Cooperative Partners

This tuition-free online training was developed by WILL Interactive and was originally supported by cooperative agreement 2018-CK-WXK-011 by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

Learning Objectives

  • Explain considerations that officers make when responding to individuals with mental health or cognitive and emotional impairments
  • Identify on-scene responses when an individual in crisis does not have a support system
  • Identify basic principles that apply to any call, including those involving mental illness or I/DDs
  • Identify if mental health is a driver of a call – taking the extra moment to gain any insight into the subject’s mental state could be critical
  • Explain how communication with a subject may be the best tactical tool to increase safety
  • Apply crisis intervention strategies with active listening skills

WILL Interactive

WILL Interactive is a US-based private company that develops online learning training simulations that confront the challenges facing the military, law enforcement, education, finance, and healthcare.