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Decatur County sheriff reports CIT program expansion, training and community outreach
Summary
Sheriff's office briefed commissioners on the Crisis Intervention Team program''including call volume, training graduates, new staff hires and an upcoming community resource night on May 29.
Decatur County Sheriff''s Office told commissioners May 19 that its Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program has handled 77 crisis-related calls for service since its February 1 start and is expanding training and community outreach.
Sheriff Mike Eggleston said the team has logged about 77 calls and that the unit is already showing reductions in emergency responses, jail transports and detention center trips for people in crisis. The sheriff credited regional partnerships, expanded training, and cooperation with the health department and other community organizations.
Eggleston said the sheriff''s office graduated 15 people from a 40-hour CIT training in April and plans another training in November with additional regional cross-enrollment in Shelby and Rush counties. He introduced two recently hired CIT staffers, Tiffany McFarland and John Budnick, and said the program is building relationships with schools, detention facilities and health providers.
Eggleston described the team''s role, noting it responds to traditional high-risk calls but also to less-obvious crises such as major motor-vehicle accidents, where the team helps family members and coordinates nonclinical needs so first responders can focus on immediate emergency tasks.
The sheriff''s office plans a community resource night May 29 at Greensburg High School to introduce CIT partners and resources to residents. Eggleston also said neighboring jurisdictions have asked the county to present mental-health training, indicating regional interest in the program.
Ending: Commissioners acknowledged the program''s early progress and welcomed the upcoming community resource night and continued cross-jurisdictional training partnerships.
