Twenty-five area law enforcement officers graduated from Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare’s first Crisis Intervention Team Training Program Friday.
The Crisis Intervention Team initiative was offered by PBH, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College It is part of a national effort to train law enforcement agencies how to de-escalate crisis situations that people with mental illness may experience.
The 25 officers were from the Rowan, Cabarrus, Union and Davidson County sheriffs departments and the Salisbury, Kannapolis, Concord and Monroe police departments.
Graduates received a certificate of completion from the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Criminal Justice Department and a CIT uniform pin which distinguishes the officer as a member of the Crisis Intervention Team within his/her department.
Local graduates include Chris Schenck, Neil Brown, Bryant Willis and Gary Maurer from the Salisbury Police Department; Lunda Eller, Johnny Lombardy, Janet Wietbrock and Jeremy Alderman from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office; Tito Rodriquez, Roberto Rodriquez, Mike Grier and Bryan Ritchie from the Kannapolis Police Department.