MANSFIELD — Mansfield Police Sgt. Patrick Williams said he hopes all law enforcement and first responders realize everyone they talk to has a backstory.
“You don’t know what point you’re walking into that situation at, and many times, we see people at their worst moments,” he said. “Everyone’s worst moment or crisis moment looks a little different.
“Establishing some trust and rapport with people is advantageous so we can find out part of their story and find out where we can help them.”
Williams helped instruct the 31st graduating class of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers during the week of Nov. 6–10. He specializes in de-escalation feedback and officer safety protocols.
Officers in the training participate in role-playing scenarios with Mansfield Playhouse actors at the end of the curriculum. They also learn about different diagnoses and treatments from mental health professionals and people with mental illnesses.
Aubrie Hall, associate director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Richland County, led most of the 911 calls before officers walked into the scenarios.
The incoming NAMI executive director said the goal of the 10-minute scenarios is to transport someone to a hospital or call a mental health professional to respond on-site.
“It’s all about de-escalation,” she said. “We want people to get the care they need as an alternative to going into the criminal justice system if possible.”
Hall said NAMI and the Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board tries to do two trainings a year of up to 24 local officers.
“We definitely want to make sure our new officers in particular have these skills and feel confident when responding to different calls,” she said. “I really appreciate the partnership we have in our area between the agencies and law enforcement.
“Everyone is very invested in this and it warms my heart to see us all collaborating to better our community like this.”
Local CIT training will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the spring
The Mansfield Playhouse has been involved in CIT training since 2004 when Richland County graduated its first class of CIT officers. It has now graduated more than 600 officers.
Doug Wertz, artistic director for the Mansfield Playhouse, said the actors have edited the scenarios throughout the years to make them more realistic.
“There have been a few where I thought the scenarios were too over-the-top or not giving the officers a chance to react or de-escalate, but we’ve gotten better,” he said. “Everyone tries to make it real even though these are often difficult scenarios.”
Anyone can ask for a CIT-trained officer when calling 911. The Mansfield Police Department has also recently revived mobile crisis teams that can respond to scenarios with a mental health professional.
The adult crisis team is a partnership with Catalyst Life Services and the youth crisis team is a partnership with Family Life Counseling.
Williams said he was proud of what he saw at Friday’s role-playing responses.
“Some of them seemed very natural at meeting people where they are and offering that empathetic perspective,” he said. “This collaboration with NAMI and the Mental Health board has been incredibly value-adding to our local law enforcement.”
The 23 graduates of the 31st CIT class were:
Shelby Police Department
- Derek Rose
- Dustin Howard
Richland County Corrections
- Robert Myers
- Destiny Craft
Avita Hospital
- Kevin Evans
- Joshua Hall
Richland County Sheriff’s Office
- Gabriel Benjamin
- Cade Rogers
- Alex Wynn
- Chandler Holbrook
OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital
- Jacob Gordon
Crestline Police Department
- Marcus Parker
- Logan Knipp
- Kaylee Biglin
Mansfield Police Department
- Jordan Ramey
- Zachary Winters
- Arianna Marx
- Jacob Budd
- Soren Osicka
Ashland Police Department
- Chelsie Betancourt
Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Chad Reckner
Lexington Police Department
- Phillip Sherman
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office
- Mollie Jansen
