This was a tremendous and long-standing effort by Dr. Chris Beasely and many others. The issue was brought to APA Council by AP-LS Council Representatives Drs. Jason Cantone and Margaret Kovera, and passed with 93.5% of Council Reps voting in favor of "Banning the Box!" This important change will move APA toward reducing systemic racism, particularly for current and future psychologists. Read harms about querying felony status for membership and job applications in a recent publication by Dr. Melanie Wilcox and Doctoral Student Terrill O. Taylor. 

About the symposium: How police respond to mental health crises has become a critical discussion nationwide. Given the potentially fatal consequences of police responses to mental health crisis calls, the efficacy of traditional mental health crisis response techniques and practices have been increasingly called into question. The Law & Psychology Review will be hosting a symposium to address this changing area of law. The symposium, entitled “Crisis Response: Mental Health & Policing,” will facilitate a discussion addressing both local and nationwide efforts to reform mental health crisis response.

Register to Attend: click the Zoom Webinar link here: https://uasystem.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eiL_Xw_hTheFz2o9i_Cevw

Symposium Schedule
​9:00 
Introductory Remarks
9:15 
Huntsville & The Jeffery Parker Shooting w/ panelists Robert Broussard, Hee Yun Lee, and Jeremy Blair
10:15 
Break
10:30 
Mental Health Crisis Response in Alabama with panelists Lauren Kois, Neil Rafferty and James Tucker
11:30 
Break
11:45 
Nationwide Look at Models for Reform with panelists Amy Watson Carleigh Sailon and Jackson Beck
12:45 
​Concluding Remarks

Paper title: Novel Undergraduate Research Training and Service Learning During Covid-19:
Developing a Behavioral Health Resource Field Manual for Law Enforcement

Abstract
Background: Covid-19 significantly minimized undergraduate opportunities to gain vital research training and service learning experience. In response, one forensic psychology laboratory “got creative” by collaborating with its local police department.
Objective: Ensure rich research assistant (RA) experience and service learning in forensic psychology; foster RAs’ understanding of law enforcement officer (LEO) fieldwork, particularly in response to persons in crisis (PIC); and contribute to the community by developing a behavioral health resource field manual for LEOs on patrol.
Method: RAs conceptualized and executed a qualitative study to develop a behavioral health field resource manual for LEOs. They collected resource manual needs from two LEO focus groups (N =13). They analyzed descriptive statistics in SPSS and conducted thematic content analysis in NVivo and prepared the project for dissemination.
Results: Key takeaways were that LEOs reported a need for specific behavioral health resource content in an easily-accessible format, and the ability to provide PICs with referral materials.
Conclusion: RAs reported newfound understandings of the research process, PIC needs and behavioral health resources, LEO experiences, and community stakeholder partnerships.
Teaching Implications: The development and execution of this project demonstrates how faculty can provide undergraduate RAs unique opportunities for research, service learning, and multidisciplinary collaboration.