A National Trauma-Informed Policing Model- Developed in Rhode Island

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Trauma-Informed Policing in Rhode Island and Beyond

Bill Bartholomew speaks with Liz Gledhill, director of the Center for Trauma Informed Policing at Family Service of Rhode Island, about a Rhode Island-built model that trains law enforcement to respond to families and children in crisis with more empathy, better situational awareness, and less additional harm. The conversation focuses on how the Go Team model evolved, why it matters at the first point of police contact, and what it takes to scale trauma-informed policing nationally.In this episode, they also discuss the balance between public safety and trauma-informed response, how community trust is built one interaction at a time, and why state funding matters when agencies are asked to adopt new trainings.

Key topics

Liz Gledhill explains her role as director of the Center for Trauma Informed Policing at Family Service of Rhode Island and the center’s Rhode Island roots.The Trauma Informed Policing Center launched this summer as a national training initiative built from Rhode Island experience and made available to law enforcement agencies across the country.Family Service of Rhode Island has worked with police for about 25 years, including long-running partnership work with the Providence Police Department.The model is designed to help officers respond to children and families exposed to trauma without compounding the harm already happening in the moment.Bill and Liz discuss how trauma-informed policing can interrupt the cycle of additional trauma during police interactions, especially when children are present at scenes such as domestic violence calls.The conversation highlights the importance of first contact, with Liz emphasizing that children and families need to feel safe at the moment police arrive.They talk about how co-response models and community-based partnerships help connect people to family services and other resources instead of relying on police to solve every problem alone.Liz describes Rhode Island’s Go Team model, which grew from an adapted version of a Connecticut approach and has expanded into seven communities, with more planned.The episode addresses trust between police and communities, with Liz noting that even one better interaction can help build a bridge or change expectations.They discuss officer skepticism at the outset of training, and how practical results often win people over once they see the model improve interactions and make their jobs easier.Bill asks about state support, and Liz says funding has increased, but warns against unfunded training mandates and argues that if the state wants departments to adopt these tools, it should help pay for them.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why trauma-informed policing matters now
 00:59 - Liz Gledhill introduces the Center for Trauma Informed Policing
 01:12 - How a Rhode Island pilot became a national training initiative
 01:45 - 25 years of police partnership and the SAMHSA grant that launched the center
 02:20 - How the training helps officers reduce harm during crisis response
 03:21 - Why children at crisis scenes need protection even when they are not the focus
 04:20 - Public safety and trauma-informed training can work together
 05:36 - Rhode Island’s Go Team model and what it borrowed from Connecticut
 06:58 - The ripple effect of police interactions on trust and lived experience
 07:28 - How one safe interaction can start rebuilding community trust
 08:57 - What rank-and-file officers think when the model is first introduced
 09:21 - Why skepticism often turns into support after officers see the results
 10:35 - Police unions, stakeholder input, and why the model has staying power
 11:05 - What the state can do beyond grants and good intentions
 11:21 - Why unfunded training mandates undermine real implementation
 12:26 - Closing thoughts and thanks

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