From a press release:
Fifteen officers from the Asheville and Department of Veterans Affairs police departments are now better equipped to respond to people with concerns related to mental illness, addiction or developmental disabilities.
The officers completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training from January 26-30 at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Participating Asheville police were officers Darrell McCurry, David Cohen, Mandy Buchanan, Eric Stewart, Orlando Burch, Cory Burton, James Vance, Wilson Bunn, R.B. Shope, Chris Dennis, Sarah McGhee, Carrie Lee and Lucas Lovelace. Participating Veteran’s Affairs police were officers Chad Bailey and Michael Smith.
The training was provided at no cost by Smoky Mountain LME/MCO (Smoky), a public managed healthcare organization, along with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), RHA Health Services, Inc., the college and the Asheville Police Department. Co-facilitators were Asheville police Lts. Don Eberhardt and William Wilkie.
Since 2008, Smoky has trained more than 550 western North Carolina officers in CIT. The training helps officers better communicate with people with mental illness, addiction or developmental disability issues to increase citizen and officer safety, help people get the treatment they need and reduce preventable arrests. Between 25 and 40 percent of Americans with mental illness will pass through the criminal justice system at some point, according to NAMI.
The first CIT program – a collaborative effort among law enforcement, advocates and mental health communities – was formally established in 1988 in Memphis, Tenn. For more information on CIT training, contact Lisa Astin, Smoky Clinical Training Coordinator, at 828-225-2785, ext. 5129, or at lisa.astin@smokymountaincenter.com.
About Smoky Mountain LME/MCO
Smoky Mountain LME/MCO manages public funds for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disability services in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties in North Carolina. Access to services is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-849-6127. Visit Smoky online atwww.smokymountaincenter.com.
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