Law enforcement officers encounter a large number of individuals with mental illness. Due to this, law enforcement officers—especially those in rural agencies—are tasked with providing frontline mental health services and making decisions about the future care of the individual. Still, the mental health training received by officers is insufficient, which may result in stigmatic perceptions. However, little is known about perceptions of mental illness held by rural law enforcement officers, as much literature on law enforcement takes place in urban areas. Researchers of the current study surveyed law enforcement officers employed in rural communities within a heartland state on their views of mental illness, training, and treatment. Results from the current study suggest rural law enforcement officers hold overall positive views of mental illness. However, findings continue to outline the need for increased resources for those with a mental illness and those working in rural communities.

执法人员遇到大量精神疾病患者。因此，执法人员（尤其是农村机构的执法人员）的任务是提供一线精神卫生服务，并就个人的未来护理做出决策。但是，军官接受的心理健康培训仍不足，这可能会导致人们产生耻辱感。但是，对于农村执法人员对精神疾病的看法知之甚少，因为关于执法的文献很多发生在城市地区。本研究的研究人员对在心脏地带州农村社区工作的执法人员进行了调查，调查他们对精神疾病，培训和治疗的看法。当前研究的结果表明，农村执法人员对精神疾病总体上持积极态度。