SANFORD - Eleven law enforcement officers are the latest to graduate from the Lee County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program. The officers were presented a certificate that qualifies them to join an elite force committed to the compassionate and humane treatment of every individual in the community. 毕业典礼于8月8日星期五举行. 28, at 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院's Emergency 服务 Training Center in Sanford.

在他的主旨演讲中, Sanford Mayor Chet Mann put into perspective the meaning of the important work CIT team members perform.

“当你来到桑福德和李县, you find a place that mixes rural charm with urban amenities, a place that embodies the South by being family oriented, 节奏较慢的, and a little reserved--yet that has ready enthusiasm for celebrations and jumps at the opportunity to improve,曼恩说。. "But while our county still has that 'small town' feel, times have changed. That's where our Crisis Intervention graduates play the starring role in helping us change with those times. Because of you, situations involving mental health disorders don't have to be scary or end violently. People who are in a time of crisis have you to turn to. 他们不必感到孤独和无能为力. They have an advocate right here in their local law enforcement officers."

资讯科技培训课程, sponsored by Lee County's NC Crisis Intervention Team, represents a major collaborative effort between 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院; LeeCAN - Mental Health Partners; Lee County Public Health Department; Sandhills LME/MCO; Sanford Police Department; Lee County Sheriff's Office; Broadway Police Department; Central Carolina Hospital; Lee Harnett Family Support, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) Cumberland, Harnett and Lee counties; HAVEN in Lee County; Daymark Recovery 服务; Mobile Crisis; Lee County Commissioner Kirk Smith, member of the board of directors of Sandhills LME/MCO; local mental health providers, 关心此事的公民.

Taught by mental health experts from a variety of fields including substance abuse, 精神药理学, 承诺的法律, 家庭咨询, 人格障碍和其他, the 40-hour course includes training in ensuring the safety of individuals with mental health disorders, 如何缓和动荡局势, 对青少年的特别关注, 管理压力, 精神卫生突发事件, 和更多的.

"CIT training is a jam-packed week of study and instruction on fundamental mental health issues,菲尔·休伊特说, Sandhills中心的司法系统协调员. "Students learn about the diagnoses of mental health disorders such as autism, 创伤性脑损伤, 和其他人, as well as the skills they need to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations without using lethal force."

This is the fourth class to graduate from CIT training since the program started in 2012 and the feedback has been very positive, 李县卫生主任特雷尔·琼斯说. Out of nine of the surrounding counties that participate in the program, Lee has consistently been cited as the county with the most successful collaboration among its task force members.

玛丽莲Gilliam, chair of the LeeCAN Mental Health Partners Task Force of the Public Health Department, said the CIT program is a response to a definite need in the community. 每四年一次, the Public Health Department conducts an assessment to identify the major health problems in the community,她说. "Mental health has always fallen within the top five most challenging issues. This training is a strategic effort to help people in mental crisis, to ensure the safety of our citizens and our law enforcement officers. We can't guarantee that every situation's outcome will be positive, 但是通过这次培训, our law enforcement agencies have an additional advantage for positive outcomes."

Every person living in the Lee County area has played a role in the county's innovation, 足智多谋, 和领导能力, 曼说, but none more than the officers who have completed CIT training.

"When you sit down with a person in crisis to help them find peace, see behavior that is a cry for help and respond with kindness, 化解可能出现的暴力局面, 你代表了这个国家的一切,曼恩说.

Graduates of the spring 2015 Lee County Crisis Intervention Team training include Keiomie Evans, 迈克尔Lankford, Nickolas泰勒, Alvero我. 雷顿二世, 格雷格•帕克, 凯利赖恩表示, Ellmar贝尼特斯, William Roland and 马修棉花 of the Sanford Police Department; Rich Barefield of the Broadway Police Department, and Terrance Simpson of the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

For more information on the Lee County Crisis Intervention Team training, 联系阿什利·格雷厄姆, MPH of Lee County Public Health Department at 919-718-4640.