By JERRY WOLFFE
Oakland
County Community Mental Health Authority will receive a $275,370 jail diversion grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health on Jan. 1 to create a Crisis
Intervention Team program and train 80 Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies.
The crisis
program is a nationally recognized, community partnership between law
enforcement and mental health professionals. It is designed to
promote positive outcomes during crisis situations that require police
assistance.
“... OCCMHA has a
responsibility to ensure that valuable training resources are available to
local law enforcement,” said Willie Brooks, OCCMHA Executive Director and CEO.
“The CIT grant is helping us fulfill this obligation by providing timely and
important training experiences to officers, so that they are better prepared to
serve people in crisis.”
Deputies
who participate in CIT will receive 40 hours of comprehensive mental health
training, which includes information about mental illness and developmental
disabilities, opportunities to speak with advocates, individuals with mental
illness and their families, and participation in role-playing scenarios.
Law
enforcement agencies throughout the country that utilize CIT have seen
significant reductions in the number of officer and personal injuries, as well
as a decrease in arrest rates.
“Our
long-standing partnership with OCCMHA has served as the foundation for many
initiatives that enhance the Sheriff Office’s ability to serve people who are
in crisis, especially individuals with a mental illness,” said Oakland County
Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “Bringing CIT to Oakland County is just one more
example of our commitment to work together for the betterment of our
community.”
