Twenty-eight members of law enforcement will graduate today from Crisis Intervention Team training (CIT) recently. The 28 officers represent 11 different departments and five of the counties in the PBH (Piedmont Behavioral Health) area.
The graduation is at 2 p.m. at the Concord Police Department, 41 Cabarrus Ave. W., Concord. All the graduates will receive a certificate of completion from the Rowan Cabarrus Community College criminal justice department and a special lapel pin to designate their CIT status.
Members of the graduating class are: Concord Police Department, Millard W. Warren III; Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, Brian R. Isenhour; Kannapolis Police Department, Jeffrey T. Harrison, William J. Frazier, Terry L. Spry and Gary P. Watkins; China Grove Police Department, Reese Helms; Albemarle Police Department, Michael B. Hinson, Kelly Williams and Jeremy Forsythe; Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, Jeffrey R. Martin, R.W. Poplin and Ronnie L. Hatley; Monroe Police Department, James H. Hughes, Timothy L. Sykes, Johanna Lodder and James D. Griffin; Union County Sheriff’s Office, Jonathan S. Davis, Patricia M. Lemke, Victor Lynn Adcock, Pilar Coppola, Jackson Bordeaux and Willie H. Blackwell, Jr.; Wingate Police Department, Joseph Whitley; Hendersonville Police Department, Philip E. Hudson and Philip C. Hosmer; and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Steven E. Holmes and Brandon D. Blackman.
PBH began offering the CIT training in January 2008. A weeklong program is offered to law enforcement and a two-day abbreviated version of the training is offered to 911 telecommunicators.
Participants are provided classroom training on mental health diagnoses, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, adolescent concerns and crisis de-escalation. On site visits, they have an opportunity to interact with consumers in a non-crisis situation at local provider locations and treatment centers. On the last day of training, participants are given an opportunity to put into practice what they have learned by participating in role plays.
CIT offers specialized training to law enforcement officers responding to mental health crises, and encourages cooperation among law enforcement agencies, mental health professionals and local community agencies to meet the special needs of people experiencing a mental health crisis.
For more information on CIT training, contact LaShay Avery, PBH Criminal Justice Coordinator, at 704-721-2713 or via email at lashay.avery@pbhsolutions.org. You can also visit the CIT website at www.pbhsolutions.org/cit.