(PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
TRAINING COMPLETED … Eleven law enforcement officers from Williams and Fulton counties completed the week-long Crisis Intervention Team training earlier this month that was sponsored by the Four County ADAMhs Board. Participants included (front row from left): Bethany Shirkey, one of the training coordinators from the ADAMhs Board; Fulton County Adult Probation Officer Calista Garza and Fulton County Adult Probation Officer and part-time patrol officer Tyler Sommers; and Juvenile Detention Center officers Jessica St. John and Denise Miranda. Back row from left: Brenda Byers, one of the training coordinators from Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio; patrol officer Jordan Villarreal and Sgt. Michael Oehlers, Wauseon Police Department; School Resource Officer and Fulton County Sheriff Deputy Steve Schlosser; patrol officer Shailynn Bohner, Pioneer Police Department; Officers Brian Robinson and Justin Garza, Bryan Police Department; and Officer Tracy Williamson, Stryker Police Department.
Twenty-one law enforcement officers from 11 different departments completed a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training sponsored by the Four County ADAMhs Board recently.
This was the 15th training that the ADAMhs Board has coordinated in the last 13 years. A total of 218 law enforcement officers from area police and sheriff departments as well as probation and corrections officers and chaplains have now been trained in techniques that have been proven effective for deescalating crisis situations involving mentally ill persons.
During the week-long training, a variety of mental health topics were presented to help participants recognize when they are dealing with a situation that may involve someone with a mental illness.
Mental health professionals who work for local behavioral health organizations also explained how mental illnesses are treated as well as the types of medications that may be prescribed.
The instructors’ presentations were supported by family members and persons with a mental illness who explained how they act and respond to others when they aren’t doing well. They also explained how they would like to be treated and interact with others, including law enforcement.
During the week, participants learned that the assertive skills and approaches that police officers have been trained to use in a crisis often causes someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis to become more agitated.
B. J. Horner, manager of community services for the Four County ADAMhs Board and coordinator of the CIT training, said that the participants were extremely engaged, asked a lot of good questions, and had a strong desire to understand how their response may impact someone struggling with a mental health issue.
In addition to Horner, instructors for the training included Bethany Shirkey, director of quality improvement at the ADAMhs Board, Pioneer Police Chief Tim Livengood, Edon Police Chief Tom Szymczak, Brenda Byers with Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio, and Dr. Clarissa Barnes, associate professor of special education and director of the Hench Autism Studies Program at Defiance College.
The CIT program was developed a number of years ago by the National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate in Memphis and that city’s police department following an incident involving a mentally ill person that ended tragically.
Today, the program is widely used to teach police how to safely and humanely handle calls that involve someone who is mentally ill.
With nearly 220 law enforcement officers now trained in CIT in Defiance, Fulton, Henry and Williams counties, Horner urges family members or friends of a loved one with a mental illness to tell the police when they need help if the situation involves someone with a mental illness.
“And, request a CIT-trained officer if the department has one on duty,” she said.