Local law enforcement officials congratulated officers from East Mississippi and other parts of the state Friday as the officers graduated from Crisis Intervention Training and received their certificates at the Lauderdale County Government Center.
Crisis Intervention Training, or CIT Training, is a 40-hour course aimed at preparing officers to respond to people having a mental health crisis. Throughout the weeklong event, officers learn about diagnoses, medications, substance use, practice de-escalation and more. They also have the opportunity to hear directly from mental health professionals as well as individuals who have mental health disorders.
Wade Johnson, who retired from Meridian Police Department as a captain 10 years ago and now serves as training coordinator the CIT program, said the program also tries to identify resources in trainees’ communities they can connect with after completing the program.
While the officers and deputies may have fun with some of the role-play situations, Johnson said the course isn’t easy and it challenges officers to grow and learn.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Ward Calhoun, who is the project director for the East Mississippi CIT program, said the program, built in cooperation with local mental health facilities, was the first in the state to offer such training. Other communities have seen the positive impact it make and have also launched CIT programs of their own, he said.
Catching criminals, Calhoun said, is the fun part of law enforcement, and that would it be all officers and deputies do — in a perfect world. In real life, however, officers are problem solvers by helping those in their community as best they can.
“The truth of the matter is we are general practitioners for the ills of our communities,” he said.
Calhoun said he hopes the graduates can go back to their home communities and use the skills they learned at CIT training to help connect those with mental health needs to the resources they need.
“You’re here for a reason,” he said. “I hope you find your purpose in law enforcement and hope one of those purposes will be always looking out for those who are less fortunate and who need help.”
Along with their certificates, the graduates received a CIT pin to display on their uniform and Johnson encouraged them to do just that. The pin, he said, isn’t just another accolade, and, while it may seem unimportant, those with previous interactions with CIT officers don’t think so.
For those residents, Johnson said, the pin identifies officers who are safe to talk to and who can be trusted to listen and understand.
Officers who received their certificates Friday include:
— Hartley Cox of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
— Nathaniel Hield of Meridian Police Department.
— Zachary Morgan of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
— Corey Shields of Philadelphia Police Department.
— James Shiers or Yazoo County Sheriff’s Office.
— Amanda Skok of East Mississippi State Hospital.
— Shelby Starks of Meridian Police Department.
— Hunter Tew of Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
— Shawn Ware of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
— Nolan Warrington of Yazoo county Sheriff’s Office.
— Emily Shiers of River Ridge Mental Health Service.