MANSFIELD — The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Richland County and the Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board will graduate the 36th
class of law enforcement and first responders on April 24.
CIT stands for “Crisis Intervention Team” and refers to a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the mental health community to help law enforcement officers handle incidents involving persons suffering with mental illness.
The program focuses on the need for advanced training and specialization with first responders; immediacy of the crisis response for those with mental illness; emphasis on officer and consumer safety; and referral for those in crisis to ensure proper mental health treatment instead of incarceration.
Developed in the late 1980s, CIT was built upon work done by NAMI family advocates and a community task force composed of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, and consumer advocates.
An intensive 40-hour training curriculum was developed which focuses on scenarios based on actual incidents. Other parts of the training include individual diagnosis, medications, de-escalation, civil legal and court processes and perspectives from consumers with
mental illness and their family members.
Richland County has trained 739 law enforcement officers and first responders since 2004. Members of class 36 will have a graduation ceremony on Friday at noon at the Mansfield Playhouse, 95 E. Third St., after role-playing exercises with local community theater actors.