Welcome to Skagit County

May 26th, 2006

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS COMPLETE 4-DAY CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM TRAINING

SKAGIT COUNTY - Today, eleven law enforcement officers from throughout Skagit County completed a 4-day Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training sponsored by Skagit County Human Services. CIT decreases arrest and injury rates for people with mental illness, increases officer and citizen safety, and enhances public involvement in law enforcement efforts. The training was funded by a grant from the National Association of Counties and Skagit County millage funds.

Graduates included Deputies Keith Brown, Rhonda Lasley, and Tobin Meyer from the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office; Officers Chris Zimmer, Chantel VanDyk, Jon Skiffington, and Chester Curry from the Mount Vernon Police Department; Sgt. Guy Hanson, Sgt. Thomas Moser, and Officer Steven Blasdell from the Burlington Police Department; and Officer Paul Eaton from the Sedro- Woolley Police Department.

CIT programs across the country help direct persons with mental illness into treatment instead of inappropriate incarceration. The 32 hours of training in mental illness, substance abuse and the local mental health and chemical dependency treatment systems provides officers with new strategies and tools for identifying, preventing, and de-escalating mental health crisis calls. Officers learn to integrate their police training with different approaches to a person they believe to have a mental disorder.

Additional trainings will be offered in September.  For additional information on Crisis Intervention Team trainings, contact Rebecca Clark, Skagit County Human Services at 360-336-9395.