Local Police Diffuse Unusual Situation with CIT Training

June 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Jessica Hayslett
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(June 29, 2011)  For Patrol Corporal Brian Paone of St. Marys Police Department, it was just another day on the job, but the unusual situation he was faced with could have ended in violence or jail time had he not been part of Georgia’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program.

Paone shares his experience, “I responded to a location regarding a complaint of a woman who would not leave an office. When I arrived and began speaking to her, I found out she believed she was a bottle of water.  She literally believed she was a bottle of water, and she did not want to spill. She did not want to move, i.e. leave the premises, because she did not want to spill.  After speaking to her for some time I was able to develop a rapport with her and help her realize she was not a bottle of water nor would she spill if she left the building. Through the intervention skills I learned in CIT training, I was able to get her to go with me for a mental health evaluation and treatment. CIT gave me the skills necessary to take a difficult and unusual situation and bring it to a satisfying conclusion.”

Good things happen to communities and individuals suffering from behavioral health disorders when local law enforcement, the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB) and other Georgia CIT partners collaborate on behalf of Georgia’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), and make CIT training available to officers and law enforcement like Patrol Corporal Paone.  CIT keeps officers informed and empowered to make sure that individuals in crisis receive the care they need, instead of incarceration.  

This past week, members of St. Marys Police Department, Ocilla Police Department, Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Brunswick Police Department, College of Coastal Georgia Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol spent 40 hours in CIT Training to help them effectively and humanely interact with persons impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and addictive diseases.  Since 2004, the Georgia CIT Program has sought to equip Georgia law enforcement officers with the skills to recognize and assist people with behavioral health disorders in crisis, thereby advancing public and citizen safety and reducing stigma. The value of such training is immeasurable.

This week's CIT class was hosted by the St. Marys Police Department and staffed by local GACSB member Satilla Community Services, with assistance from NAMI. It included clinical classroom instructions, practical de-escalation role play exercises, lived experiences of consumers and family members, and site visits to Ware Behavioral Health Adult Day Services and a supported employment center for the developmentally disabled.  The training covers a variety of subjects such as: Understanding & Preventing Suicide, Signs & Symptoms of Mental Illness, De-Escalation Techniques, Legal Issues and Mental Health Law, Addictive Diseases, Child & Adolescent Interventions and more.

The GACSB and its member organizations are proud to work with their communities on CIT training; it is a natural extension of the work GACSB’s member organizations have been doing for more than thirty years leading the development and operation of cost effective, high quality, mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services in Georgia. “That includes services like CIT training, which we volunteer our time, staff and facilities to make possible,” says GACSB advocate and CIT trainer June DiPolito.  “The GACSB is committed to our communities and the services necessary to keep everyone – citizens, law enforcement, individuals in crisis – safe.  It’s all about partnerships with others for the good of all.”  

Through Georgia CIT partnerships, over 4,000 law enforcement officers have received special training since the program’s inception.  “The specialized training of CIT enables officers to better understand and relate to individuals with mental disabilities or disorders when in the field,” says GBI Special Agent Debbie Shaw, CIT Coordinator for State Law Enforcement.  “This program brings law enforcement, mental health providers and the community at large together to provide the best service possible to all its citizens.”    To date, 105 Police Departments (including 911 operators), 75 Sheriffs Offices (including 911 operators), Probation and Parole officers from the GA Dept. of Corrections, Parole Officers from Pardons and Parole, VA Police Departments, Military Police from five military bases are counted among Georgia’s CIT force.

About the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards
For over 30 years, the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB) member organizations have led the development and operation of cost effective, high quality, mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services in Georgia.  With 27 member organizations providing community based care across the state, the GACSB is dedicated to its mission of promoting the exchange of information, representing its members on legislative and administrative matters, and campaigning for the highest quality of life for consumers of mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services. To learn more, please visit www.gacsb.org.

About NAMI
The purpose of NAMI Georgia, Inc. is to relieve the suffering and improve the quality of life for Georgians living with mental illness and their families through education, support, advocacy and research.  

About the Georgia Crisis Intervention Team
The Georgia Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program is a collaboration of professionals committed to assisting persons with behavioral health disorders (mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and addictive disease). To learn more, please visit, www.namiga.org

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