Two Bridges Regional Jail hosted 27 officers from 13 agencies for an intensive 40-hour program put on by the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training March 3-7.

The training focuses on four key items: education about mental illness; communication and de-escalation; networking with providers; and personal and family stories. Some of the topics covered were basics of mental illness, child and youth trauma, communications and de-escalation, veterans issues, autism and dd, psychiatric meds, suicide risk and assessment, behavior management and dementia. In addition to classroom training, the group toured Mid-Coast Hospital Behavioral Health Unit, Sweetser and Riverview Hospital.

The program was led by Gil Soucy of NAMI-Maine along with community volunteers from Sweetser, Mid Coast Hospital, Maine Children Trauma Response, Crisis & Counseling, U.S. Army, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Probation, Two Bridges Regional Jail, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, Alzheimer’s Association and others.

This is the 26th year for CIT Training nationwide and the 12th year in Maine. Over 1,500 first responders have gone through the program and law enforcement officers are trained in every county in Maine as well as in the Maine State Prison and jails. Maine is the first in the nation because of the volume of prisoners with mental illness in the jails. NAMI strongly urges their clients to formally request a CIT staff officer when calling for help. The level of training and compassion shown by these officers is very valuable to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Represented at this training were officers from the Kennebec, Waldo, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and Knox County sheriffs’ offices, Two Bridges Regional Jail, the Brunswick, Bath, Waterville and Augusta police departments, and dispatchers from Waldo and Knox counties. Attending the training program from Lincoln County were Sheriff Todd Brackett and Lt. Mike Murphy.

“It is great to see that kind of commitment from the Sheriff,” Soucy said. Upon graduation the officers will receive lifetime certification.