News

Six law officers complete training in behavioral health crisis response

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 25, 2022

Officers from five North Carolina law enforcement agencies are better equipped to respond to people experiencing a behavioral health crisis following a 40-hour training in Hendersonville earlier this month at Blue Ridge Community College.

Six participants completed Crisis Intervention Team training coordinated by Vaya Health April 4-8 at the community college. Graduates were:

• Blue Ridge Community College Police and Public Safety Department: Christopher Sellers
• Fletcher Police Department: Michael Elizondo
• Henderson County Sheriff’s Office: Jimmy Burgess and Antonio Soriano
• Lake Lure Police Department: Caleb Oates
• Transylvania County Sheriff's Office: Micah Bagwell

Detective Pete Laite with the Hendersonville Police Department served as the law enforcement co-facilitator.

CIT training partners included the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Blue Ridge Community College, the Department of Veterans Affairs, RHA Health Services, the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Liberty Corner Enterprises, the Autism Society, the Brain Injury Association of America, Resources for Resilience, Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Health, Crossnore Communities For Children, The Free Clinics, the Henderson County Wellness Clinic, Vocational Solutions of Henderson County, Thrive and Hinds Feet Farm.

More than 1,500 law enforcement officers, first responders, and other professionals in North Carolina have completed CIT training coordinated by Vaya. The training helps participants better communicate with people with mental health issues, substance use disorders, or intellectual/developmental disabilities and can increase both citizen and officer safety, help people get treatment, and reduce arrests.

Vaya, an Asheville-based managed care organization that oversees publicly funded behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability services across a 31-county region of North Carolina, coordinated the training at no cost to participating agencies. Topics included behavioral health disorders, veterans’ issues, trauma, suicide prevention, services for people who are deaf, officer wellness and skills to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Graduates also participated in role-playing activities and local agency site visits.