Staff report
Ten members of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and the Salisbury and Kannapolis Police departments were among law enforcement officials earning Crisis Intervention Team designation at a special graduation ceremony Friday on the main campus of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
The local members joined 12 other law enforcement officials from five area counties who completed the intensive 40-hour training, a statement said.
Graduating members from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office are:
– Deputy Travis Allen
– Deputy Craig Hicks
– Deputy Jerald Croyle
Graduating officers from the Salisbury Police Department are:
– Detective Mike Colvin
– Patrol Officer Andy Carlton
– Patrol Officer Jonathan Thompson
– Patrol Officer Mark McDaniel
Graduating officers from the Kannapolis Police Department are:
– Detective Chris Walker
– Sgt. Chris Nesbitt
– Lt. Tony Clark
Officers receive a certificate of completion from the RCCC Criminal Justice Department and a Crisis Intervention Team uniform pin, which distinguishes the officer as a member of the Crisis Intervention Team within his or her department.
The training teaches law enforcement agents how to handle crisis in mental health situations. It offers specialized training to officers responding to mental health crisis situations, and encourages cooperation among law enforcement agencies, mental health professionals and local community agencies to meet the special needs of people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare sponsored the training, which is patented after the Memphis, Tenn. Police Department Crisis Intervention Team Program. The program was first introduced to this area in January through the collaborative efforts of the Rowan, Cabarrus and Union County affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare.
Officers receive training in understanding mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and more. The program emphasizes safety first and teaches crisis intervention and verbal techniques that reduce the risk of harm to officers and those experiencing the mental health crisis.
Participating officers earn continuing education credits to help them meet their annual law enforcement training requirements.