Commentary: Police officers and persons with mental illness

Silverstone et al. present a study outlining the success of a novel training program implemented in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to train police officers to interact with persons who may have a psychiatric disorder. The training was well accepted by the participants and was novel in its use of professional actors to portray persons with mental illness across six model scenarios. I outline the need for such training and comment on certain aspects of this particular program, including overall design, usefulness, and limitations.