Definitions

Arbitration Arbitration is a private process where disputing parties agree that one or several individuals can make a decision about the dispute after receiving evidence and hearing arguments. Arbitration is different from mediation because the neutral arbitrator has the authority to make a decision about the dispute.

 

BCA – Bureau of Criminal Apprehension The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provides investigative and specialized law enforcement services to prevent and solve crimes in partnership with law enforcement, public safety and criminal justice agencies. Services include criminal justice training and development, forensic laboratory analysis, criminal histories and investigations.

 

BIPOC-Black Indigenous and People of Color The acronym stands for “black, Indigenous and people of color.” Though it is now ubiquitous in some corners of Twitter and Instagram, the earliest reference The New York Times could find on social media was a 2013 tweet.

 

Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

 

CIT Training – Crisis Intervention Training and De-escalation Training Training to teach police how to respond to a mental health crisis and safely de-escalate the situation. CIT programs create connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness and their families.

 

Community Engagement In simple terms Community Engagement describes processes designed to involve a community in developing desired outcomes, and then making and implementing decisions. To be successful it must: be sensitive to the community context in which it occurs, allow community members to feel their contribution is meaningful, be inclusive and collaborative, and foster openness, transparency and trust. Community engagement often involves partnerships or coalitions to change relationships and policies, as well as to garner resources and influence systems and practices.

 

Conflict management Conflict management is the process by which disputes are resolved, where negative results are minimized and positive results are prioritized. This key management skill involves using different tactics depending on the situation, negotiation, and creative thinking.

 

COPE - See Hennepin County’s COPE

 

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Critical Incident Stress Management, or CISM, is an intervention protocol developed specifically for dealing with traumatic events.  It is a formal, highly structured and professionally recognized process for helping those involved in a critical incident to share their experiences, vent emotions, learn about stress reactions and symptoms and given referral for further help if required. It is not psychotherapy. It is a confidential, voluntary and educative process, sometimes called 'psychological first aid.’

 

DHS - Department of Human Services Next to the Department of Education, this entity receives the most state funding. Its biggest financial responsibility is to provide health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans. They are also responsible for securing economic assistance for struggling families, providing food support, overseeing child protection and child welfare services, enforcing child support, and providing services for people with mental illness, chemical dependency, or physical or developmental disabilities.

 

DPS – Department of Public Safety The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is a large and complex agency dedicated to prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, enforcement and education. Ten divisions serve Minnesotans with programs in: law enforcement, fire code development, fire investigation and safety inspection, forensic science, crime and fraud prevention, crime victims’ services, homeland security and emergency management, emergency communications network management, traffic and motorcycle safety, driver licensing and vehicle registration, alcohol and gambling enforcement, pipeline safety and rule enforcement, and public safety education.

 

EDP- Emotionally Disturbed Person In police code, an emotionally disturbed person (EDP) is a person who appears to be mentally ill or temporarily deranged and is conducting himself in a manner which a police officer reasonably believes is likely to result in serious injury to himself or others. This term is also used in dispatching 911 calls.

 

Embedded Social Worker An embedded social worker is a trained social worker who is specifically assigned to a particular police department. Their work can take many forms, but generally they provide a variety of counseling, intervention, support and referral services for persons after police contacts, particularly in situations where mental health services are needed. The goal of such programs is to reduce emergency situations and police contacts through early intervention by quickly identifying people in need, providing short-term assistance and connecting them with internal or community resources.

 

EMT- Emergency Medical Technician Emergency Medical Technicians provide out of hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical services (EMS) system. EMTs have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients ranging from non-emergency and routine medical transports to life threatening emergencies. 

 

Hennepin County’s COPE (Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies) and Child Crisis COPE is a form of mobile crisis intervention mandated in all counties by the State of Minnesota through DHS. COPE provides 24-7-365 on-site crisis services in Hennepin County to adults (18 years and up) experiencing a psychiatric emergency.

 

Integrated Behavioral Health Social workers, doctors, and nurses working on solving mental health issues. Could include working with police.

 

Mental Health Co-Responder The co-responder model includes a specially trained police officer and a mental health professional who respond to mental health calls collaboratively

Minneapolis OPI or Office of Performance and Innovation Based in City Hall, the Office of Performance & Innovation is an internal consulting team that helps the city manage operational, structural and policy changes. Located in the City Coordinator’s office, the team has a staff of six.

 

Minneapolis OVP or Office of Violence Prevention The Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) uses a community-focused, public health approach to prevent violence and keep communities safe. The OVP coordinates city-wide efforts around violence prevention. Activities include service coordination with jurisdictional partners, capacity building with small community-based agencies and partnerships on community engagement activities. It is proposed to move this office into a new Department of Neighborhood Safety within the new Office of Community Safety.

 

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

 

POST Board – Police Officer Standards and Training This Minnesota State Board is under the DPS and licenses peace officers and part-time peace officers; establishes minimum qualifications and standards of conduct; and regulates professional peace officer education and continuing education for peace officers.

 

PSAP- Public Safety Access Point A public-safety answering point (PSAP), sometimes called "public-safety access point" is a call center where emergency calls (like police, fire brigade, ambulance) initiated by any mobile or landline subscriber are terminated.

 

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.

 

SSW-School of Social Work Social workers support individuals and their families through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people, including children and adults, are safeguarded from harm. They also work closely with other professionals in health and social care. There are twenty-five Minnesota educational institutions that offer a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW)

 

Statutory home rule General-law cities have only those powers that state law expressly or implicitly authorizes. By contrast, home rule cities may assume any power not prohibited by the state constitution or state laws. In Minnesota within each class, a city may be a statutory city, organized and operating under state statutes, or a home rule charter city, organized and operating as provided in the charter approved by the voters of the city. Some powers given to statutory cities may be available to home rule charter cities whatever their classification.

Telecommunicator A telecommunicator receives calls and obtains information from people in need of assistance. Telecommunicators, also called 911 or public safety dispatchers, send info and assign calls to police officers, first responders, and firefighters.

 

Use of Force “Use of force” can be defined as a situation in which a law enforcement officer interacts with an unwilling individual and force is used, either in self-defense or to compel compliance.

 

Violence Interrupter Trained violence interrupters and outreach workers prevent shootings by identifying and mediating potentially lethal conflicts in the community, and following up to ensure that the conflict does not reignite. In Minneapolis, the violence interrupters are paid employees of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention — not the police department.