Fostoria PD undergoes crisis intervention training

The Fostoria Police Division and four other law enforcement agencies in northwest Ohio have completed crisis intervention training. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health and Recovery Boards from six local counties, including Seneca County, joined together to form a Northwest Ohio Crisis Intervention Teams program. The training teaches law enforcement, corrections officers, and dispatchers how to "deescalate persons in mental health crisis." The 40-hour training took place over five weeks. A press release sent out by the NW Ohio CIT Program boasted that officers learned "effective communication, de-escalation techniques, recognizing the signs of mental illness, mental health medicines, excited delirium, legal issues, community resources, dementia, trauma in children, and addiction." That averages at four hours per topic. Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno thinks participants in the training need more time. "There are so many different types of mental health issues, especially for those in crisis," Loreno said. "We are continually training in a variety of crisis intervention subjects." The press release explained that the CIT program was formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1988 after law enforcement "handled a situation with a person in mental health crisis." The situation in question resulted in the death of the person in crisis. A man who was cutting himself with a knife and contemplating suicide became upset when officers ordered him to drop the knife. The man moved toward the officers, who then shot him to death. The CIT program was created as a response. It was brought to Ohio in 2000, starting in Akron. One out of every 25 Americans experiences serious mental illness, according to NAMI. These individuals account for 1 in 10 calls to 911. According to a 2015 Treatment Advocacy Center study, 1 in 4 police encounters that result in death involve a mentally ill individual. David Olds, NW Ohio CIT coordinator, assured that the program would curb violent conflict resolution. "The public safety agencies within our six-county area have demonstrated a strong commitment to handling specific situations utilizing better techniques, resulting in a safer resolution for our community members and public safety personnel," Olds wrote. Some speculation has occurred about whether Crisis Intervention Teams should be a separate entity from law enforcement. Many police departments just don't have the resources to make it happen. "At this time, mental health staff will not respond to a crisis scene, so it is critical that my officers have the training to deescalate the situation and get those in crisis to a mental health professional," Loreno said. Having sent 11 of his 22 officers to CIT training over the past several years, Loreno doesn't take the issue lightly. "At the end of the day, officers of Fostoria police want to reduce the amount of injuries to those they deal with and themselves," Loreno said. "My staff really does do an excellent job of simply talking to people in crisis."