Johnson County Police Academy will significantly increase recruits’ training on mental health, de-escalation

Starting in 2020, recruits going through the Johnson County Regional Police Academy will receive 21 hours of training on mental health and deescalation — eight hours more than required under Kansas law.

The change, approved by the Johnson County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association last week, comes as local law enforcement agencies are seeing more and more calls involving people experiencing mental health issues.