July 31, 2023
The Joshua Independent School District Police Department, in partnership with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, is hosting a Mental Health Peace Officer certification course between July 31 and August 2, 2023. Around 50 Texas peace officers are participating.
After the certification course, all 10 officers of the JISD Police Department will be certified as Mental Health Peace Officers. To our knowledge, JISD PD would be the only law enforcement agency in Johnson County to have all their officers certified as Mental Health Peace Officers.
The course educates participants about mental health and issues regarding the subject. It includes education in providing first responder services to individuals with mental health issues and advanced crisis intervention training.
Prerequisites for the certification course are:
- Currently appointed as a peace officer or justice of the peace
- At least two years of experience as a peace officer or justice of the peace
- If not currently a commissioned peace officer, an applicant must meet the current enrollment standards
- If an applicant is a commissioned peace officer, an applicant must not ever have had a license or certificate issued by the commission suspended or revoked
- If an applicant is a commissioned peace officer, an applicant must have met the continuing education requirements for the previous training cycle
- Successful completion of a training course in emergency first aid and lifesaving techniques (Red Cross or equivalent)
- Successful completion of the current mental health peace officer training course, passing the approved written examination for mental health officer proficiency, with a score of 80% or better, and passing the skills-based exam with a grade of satisfactory
Joshua ISD focuses on having highly trained officers and providing numerous training opportunities for our officers.
