WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The local council of the Missouri Crisis Intervention Team completed their first training with area law enforcement officers, officials and mental health providers on Thursday.
The Missouri CIT is a partnership of law enforcement agencies, first responders, behavioral health providers, hospitals, courts, and other community partners to help get people in crisis – whether they be mental health issues or issues brought on by drug use – the help they need by connecting them to local resources, according to Jason Klaus, a 23-year deputy with the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and Coordinator for the Missouri CIT:
The CIT is a 5-day, 40-hour training program that was broken up over the last five weeks for area officers.
Klaus added that the CIT, which was developed in Memphis and reworked for Missouri in 2013, wanted to focus on south-central Missouri and its rural location:
Klaus added that he was proud of the local law enforcement community and other partners for showing up to the training:
The Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare reports that 13,000 mental health came from law enforcement groups and judicial agencies in 2018.
Around 25 law enforcement officials were in the training, including 11 officers from Highway Patrol Troop G, over a half-dozen from the West Plains Police Department, and Sheriff Darrin Brawley and two deputies from Shannon County.
The local CIT region includes Howell, Oregon, Shannon, Texas, Wright, Douglas and Ozark Counties.
