Chicago officer honored for helping person experiencing mental health episode

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago police officer has been honored for defusing a situation with an individual who was having a mental health episode.

Several months ago, Officer Chuck Trendle responded to a call at the Access Community Health Network center, where he used de-escalation techniques to get a woman to go to an in-patient care facility.

Trendle has taught the techniques at the Chicago Police Department's academy.

The team at Access Community Health recognized officer Trendle on Wednesday as a community champion for his work.

"You can't just sit there and heavy-handed say, 'You're going to jail,' or 'You're going to the hospital, whether you like it or not.' You have to treat them humanely," Trendle said.