Crisis Intervention Team train for positive outcomes Published May 5, 2015 By Roland Balik 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- As a first responder, arriving on scene to a situation involving an individual with a possible mental illness or in the midst of a mental episode can be very scary and dangerous for both parties if the situation is not properly handled. Possessing the right training and skills to assess, control and de-escalate a situation is necessary for a positive outcome without the use of force or sending the individual through the judicial system unnecessarily. Five members of the 436th Security Forces Squadron, as well as 36 civilian law enforcement officers from 14 different police agencies throughout Delaware, received 40-hours of Crisis Intervention Team training April 12-17, 2015, here. "The goal of CIT training usually focuses in four areas," said Dr. Joshua Thomas, National Alliance on Mental Illness Delaware executive director. "Whenever possible, to divert people from the criminal justice system if mental health treatment is more appropriate if that is what is driving the behavior, get more people referred to mental health resources when appropriate, lower the need for use of force, and lower the risk of injury to all involved by making these safer encounters." The first CIT, established in 1988, was created by the group effort of the Memphis chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee Medical School and police, after a Memphis police officer shot man with a mental illness. "We're teaching officers how to manage crisis situations with people who are in a mental health crisis," said Thomas. "CIT is an entire program of creating a partnership between all the stakeholders involved in a mental health crisis, meaning law enforcement, mental health providers, hospitals, military installations, Veterans Affairs and all other resources involved." Some of the material covered during the training included a basic understanding of different types of mental health medication, auditory hallucinations, and being able to recognize cognitive and developmental specialty issues such as Autism or Down syndrome. "It taught us a lot about dealing with somebody who has a mental illness or could be having a mental episode," said Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Hoyme, 436th SFS superintendent, operations and training. "It was real informative on how we can teach our patrolman how to respond to these situations." During the week-long training, 25 subject matter experts from the law enforcement, advocacy and mental health communities provided valuable information to the attendees, including eight different scenarios involving students and a person in a mental health crisis being evaluated by a scenario facilitator. "After going through this training I feel a whole lot more confident in my abilities to handle this type of [mental crisis] situation," said Master Sgt. Bret Wallace, 436th SFS flight chief. "Before I probably would have went in with a totally different demeanor and not even thought about looking at the signs and trying to recognize an individual with a mental illness." CIT training also touched on the component of trauma involving children and youth relating to their families, intimate partner violence a military component that encompassed combat-related and military sexual trauma, including individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. "The focus is on responding to the person's humanity, being compassionate and understanding," said Dr. Leslie Brower, Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse & Mental Health project director. "You're talking about people with mental illnesses, not people who are willfully misbehaving." Having a mixture of military and civilian residents in Dover AFB's privatized housing area, 436th SFS personnel are the first ones to respond to and mitigate an incident until Delaware State Police arrive on scene. "It [CIT training] will be another tool we use to work with local police departments to enhance our capability and build that rapport downtown," said Hoyme.