Law enforcement in Madison Co. expands with CIT training
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is expanding their training into crisis intervention.
The sheriff’s department paired with mental health and addiction professionals to complete their Crisis Intervention Training on Friday.
Local officers and various departments around West Tennessee underwent 40 hours of training. This program aims to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to handle crisis situations in the field.
“I feel like mental health is something that’s been put on the backburner for a while, but I feel like the state of Tennessee is really moving forward to put mental health first and help our officers deescalate situations to cut down on use of force,” said Dillon Wooley, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office’s Violent Crimes Investigator and Coordinator for CIT Program.
Trainees went through various deescalation drills, listened to real-life stories from individuals suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and various mental disorders, and participated in roleplay exercises.
“Know that we’re here to help you in your time of need. You can call and let us know if it’s a mental distress situation or something so we can tailor things to you better and just help you. We’re here to help,” said Capt. Tom Grant with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and a CIT Coordinator.
At Friday’s CIT graduation, Miss Volunteer America Alexa Knutzen was a special guest speaker. She was invited to support the men and women that went through the program and graduated. She expressed her appreciation for law enforcement and the CIT program.
“It’s really so awesome to see them here today, rallying together and brainstorming ideas and providing the tools to make our community safer. So really just have patience and know they’re on your side always,” Knutzen said.
Their were 30 students who graduated on Friday. The CIT training is done about five to six times a year.
You can learn more about the training courses here.
Find more local news here.
