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March 10th, 2008

Law enforcement officers complete Crisis Intervention Team training

SKAGIT COUNTY - On March 6, 2008, ten law enforcement officers from throughout Skagit County completed a 4-day Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training sponsored by Skagit County Human Services and NAMI Skagit.

Graduates included Officers Kathleen Ryan, Bradford Stavig and John Taylor from Anacortes Police Department, Officers Don Doherty, Michael Oster, and Thomas Wenzl, from Mount Vernon Police Department; and Deputies Keith Dillaman, Jason Moses, Polly Storie, and Jesse Talosi from the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

CIT training provides officers with new strategies and tools for identifying, preventing, and de-escalating mental health crisis calls. Officers received 32 hours of training in mental illness, substance abuse and the local mental health and chemical dependency treatment systems. CIT decreases arrest and injury rates for people with mental illness, increases officer and citizen safety, and enhances public involvement in law enforcement efforts. CIT programs across the country help direct persons with mental illness into treatment instead of inappropriate incarceration.

To date almost 30 percent of Skagit County municipal law enforcement officers and county sheriff’s deputies have completed the training. A second 2008 training will be offered in October. For additional information on Crisis Intervention Team trainings, contact Rebecca Clark, Skagit County Human Services at 360-336-9395.