NAMI Sharing Your Story with Law Enforcement

NAMI Sharing Your Story with Law Enforcement (SYSLE) is a presentation program that prepares individuals and family members to share their stories of lived experience with mental illness to a law enforcement audience, such as during Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, or other events where mental illness and related topics are featured.

SYSLE Presenters provide an opportunity for officers to hear about someone who experienced being in crisis and may have interacted with law enforcement as a result, but is now living well with mental illness. The powerful and unique stories shared by NAMI presenters help increase officers’ understanding and empathy, improving crisis response in communities. These presentations are consistently popular with officers who attend CIT training and NAMI’s goal is to ensure that every law enforcement officer has this opportunity.

NAMI and CIT

NAMI’s involvement in CIT training reaches back to the earliest days of CIT in Memphis Tennessee. NAMI provided grant funding for the first CIT program and after more than 30 years remains a partner as CIT has expanded in communities across the nation and worldwide.

From collaboration on development to NAMI members presenting their stories, the effort to improve crisis response has always been an important part of NAMI’s mission. Our members have led the way with important and meaningful stories that increase understanding and have a direct impact on this goal.

NAMI has always advocated for safer, more compassionate and focused ways to connect people to care. Sharing Your Story with Law Enforcement continues this tradition by supporting NAMI leaders as they share these stories and help create positive change in communities across the nation.