Eastern State Hospital revives COP TALK program
A program between DSHS’ Eastern State Hospital and the Spokane Police Department that establishes relationships between patients and police officers before leaving the facility.
Sitting in a circle with 11 other peers, two members of the Spokane Police Department, and one from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, a patient named Scott raised his hand and immediately shared his psychological disorder.
“I appreciate that, Scott,” said Spokane Police Det. Graig Butler, who works in the department’s Investigations Unit.
“I appreciate that a lot,” Det. Butler reiterated. “Knowing your condition can help us to know how to respond to you if you’re in need of help.”
The thought of voluntarily providing some of the details of your discharge summary — even medical records — to the police before being released into the community might be daunting.
But if you had a chance to get to know a cop or two before you left the hospital — and understood their job — you may come to see that there could be benefits to sharing such information.
Once again, some staff at both Eastern State Hospital and the Spokane Police Department are reviving a program called COP TALK, which stands for Community Outreach with Patients Through Affirmative Law Enforcement Conversations.
Every Friday, SPD Detective Butler, Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Skinner, and SPD Officer Nathan Coleman are greeted by ESH’s Dan Wagner, a Mental Health Program Specialist, at 9 a.m. at the Eastlake Campus Switchboard.
Dan presents them with a brief overview of what will happen at “High Five,” a 10-year-old program that celebrates patients making weekly strides.
When the program first restarted, the officers wore regular clothes and blended with the ESH staff. Over time, they have gradually shared with patients how they can help them after discharge from the hospital.
Weeks later, the three men arrived in more formal attire, and not a single patient flinched at their presence.
“This is about establishing relationships between the patients and the department,” Det. Butler said. “We know most encounters patients have had with law enforcement can be an automatic trigger. If we can get to know each other now, then we can help remove that trigger.”
COP TALK is not new. The program started in 2018 when Carrie Christiansen, a former ESH nurse, decided to become a reserve police officer.
While on patrol, Carrie encountered several former ESH patients. She realized connections between the hospital and the police department needed to be established. She met Det. Butler in July of that year, and the program quickly took off. Like now, Det. Butler would come to ESH and meet patients and staff.
The result proved positive. Several discharging patients signed voluntary waivers to share some details of their medical history with SPD.
And then COVID-19 arrived.
“It was disheartening to say the least,” Dan Wagner said. “It’s a time like that when programs like COP TALK matter the most.”
The ‘faces’ of COP Talk
In his youth, Det. Butler never imagined a career in law enforcement.
A San Diego native, he was more interested in playing football in high school than anything else. In trying to help him see a plan for life after high school, his father arranged for him to go on a ride-along with a San Diego patrol officer.
At one point during the event, he helped the patrol officer subdue a suspect riding a 10-speed bike who had stashed bags of cocaine under their baseball cap.
The young detective-to-be eventually studied sociology and earned his undergraduate degree in that field from the University of Utah. He now has a 22-year career in law enforcement, with the last nine being with the Spokane Police Department.
“That morning changed the trajectory of my life,” he said.
As for Carrie, she is now a Mental Health Coordinator for SPD.
Her career began in the medical field before going into law enforcement. SPD tailored her position based on her background in mental health. At ESH, she was a registered nurse from 2015 through 2020 and served as the Treatment Mall director.
“In my current job, I’m a liaison between the hospital and police department,” Carrie said. “Having the background knowledge I do, I can help officers who may be involved in a response call to a former patient.”
From law enforcement’s perspective, knowing even the most basic details of a patient’s discharge summary can increase the likelihood of a non-violent encounter.
“If we can lower the rates of use of force, it can only enhance the quality of life for law enforcement and for citizens,” Det. Butler said.
Even if a patient doesn’t sign the waiver, Det. Butler said it’s worth the trip here for him and his colleagues.
“If we have a relationship with patients, then they know us and can feel comfortable with us,” Det. Butler said.
