The Syracuse Police Department is seeking additional mental health services after last month’s shooting death of officer Michael Jensen. First, common councilors must approve $100,000 in additional treatment with a mental health counselor already volunteering with the department’s hostage negotiation team. Lieutenant Jason Tom told the councilors the need is greater than the city’s assistance program can provide.
“Sometimes they need to talk to someone immediately, right, and they need immediate response, immediate support,” Tom said. “Doctor Bernard will be on an on call basis 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Tom says the city’s current employee assistance system requires officers make appointments several weeks out, while many officers have already established a relationship with the department’s in-house doctor.
On another front, the SPD is looking to expand a program it uses to detect gunshots in the city. If approved, the $150,000 subscription would extend detection to the city’s northside. Lieutenant Tom says the tool has proven helpful on a regular basis.
“We will get dispatched to a shot spotter call and then no one will call it in and we’ll subsequently check the area and find evidence that shots fired,” Tom said.
Another Lieutenant, Brian Lutz, says the equipment’s accuracy prevents officers from chasing false sounds that trip sensors.
“They have people who filter that through, who listen to it and run it through various audio devices to really kind of narrow down whether it’s a gun shot firework, a car making a noise or something else.”
Some cities have canceled their subscriptions over concerns about cost, accuracy, and effectiveness. But Lutz says that’s not the case in Syracuse.
