Seneca Falls Police Chief Stu Peenstra says technology is helping most of those encounters end well.

In his “snapshot” for September, Peenstra said his officers used an iPad 11 times for remote mental health incidents. In nine of those cases, the subject didn’t need to be taken to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic.

“I would say eight out of 10 times, we can resolve the situation so the person is able to stay at home instead of an awkward transport, both for our officer and the person,” Peenstra said. “These can be tough situations. We can listen to people, but we are not counselors, so the iPad is a huge tool.”

After an officer responds to a call and the person agrees to talk to a mental health professional remotely, the officer calls the hospital and the specialist calls back to the iPad and speaks to the person and the officer face to face, similar to FaceTime or Skype.

The Ontario County sheriff’s office was one of the first police agencies in the state to use the technology last year. Since then other departments have hopped on board, and Peenstra said the Seneca County sheriff’s office distributed iPads to fellow agencies in the county, including the Seneca Falls PD, after receiving a grant.

“We have the largest population of any town in the county, and I recognized we could use this technology,” he said. “The iPad is a huge tool and another service we can offer the community.”

Peenstra said the technology is related to Crisis Intervention Training; five of his officers have taken it through the sheriff’s office, and five more will go through the week-long CIT this month.

“This teaches officers how to be patient and better understand these situations,” he said. “My goal is to have all our officers CIT trained. These interactions, including the iPads, result in a more positive interaction between law enforcement and the individual suffering from a mental health crisis.”

Peenstra also reported the following September statistics:

• Seneca Falls police documented 1,634 duty-related “events” including 701 calls for service, 778 property checks on business and residential properties, and 137 traffic stops.

• Officers issued 92 tickets following traffic stops including one felony charge, 16 misdemeanors and 75 infractions. Five people were charged with driving while intoxicated.

• Officers responded to 31 motor-vehicle accidents in the town. Four resulted in injury and 27 property damage.

• Officers arrested 26 people, resulting in 30 criminal charges. Those charges included one felony, seven misdemeanors and 22 violations.

Peenstra said officers recorded one subject resistance report during the month, but there were no injuries to civilians or officers.

• SFPD officers completed 92 hours of online training during the month.

• Peenstra said in comparing the month to September 2019, calls for service were up 4.5%, criminal charges were down 40%, traffic tickets were up 8%, traffic accidents were down 22%, domestic disturbances were up 42%, mental health incidents were up 49%, and DWI arrests were up 25%.