Officers Receive Crisis Training

With so much negativity surrounding law enforcement throughout the nation, local police officers are receiving additional training in handling crisis situations.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness- Six County, the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, and local law enforcement agencies all partnered together for the Crisis Intervention Team Academy. On Friday, 13 area police officers graduated from the week-long program.

Paul Quinn, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told us the training aims to help law enforcement recognize when a crisis is more of a mental health situation, rather than a criminal situation, and how to apply the appropriate intervention.

“One of the things that we see routinely in the media, is police officers arriving on the scene where there is a crisis, and if it’s not handled properly, it results in more dangerous outcomes that are less desirable for all involved, the goal of this training is to keep everyone safe,” Quinn said.

Quinn said the training provides tools for handling crises, while improving safety for all involved. Participants represented different agencies from across the six-county region, including Cambridge, Coshocton, and New Lexington.

“The training is voluntary for the officers, although from my understanding, it is strongly encourage by the area agencies,” Quinn said.

Graduates received a special pin to apply to their uniforms for participating.