FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2016 Contact: Kraig Troxell, Public Information Officer, 703-771-5278 Kraig.Troxell@loudoun.gov Alex Kowalski, Public Information Officer, 703-777-0625 Aleksandra.Kowalski@loudoun.gov 4 Years Later: LCSO Crisis Intervention Team Closer to Reaching Milestone Loudoun County, VA- Four years since the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with mental health professionals and local law enforcement, the agency is moving closer to reaching its goal of having 100% of all deputies trained in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). To date, over 60% of sworn personnel in Patrol, Operational Support and Courts and Corrections have received training with 95% of all dispatchers and call takers in the Emergency Communications Center also trained. The CIT training helps prepare law enforcement officers, on patrol and in the Adult Detention Center (ADC), as well as emergency dispatchers to calmly and effectively communicate with citizens experiencing a behavioral crisis. “The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office continues to be a leader in crisis intervention training in the region,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman. “These efforts have not gone unrecognized as our CIT trainers have been recognized locally and statewide for their efforts and have received international certifications,” added Sheriff Chapman. Loudoun Sheriff Chapman helped facilitate crisis intervention training in October 2012 after assessing the frequency of incidents involving mental illness in the County. The program was expanded to include the Courts and Corrections Division in January 2015. The training includes classroom instruction, role play exercises which enabled law enforcement personnel to gain a better understanding of the experience of living with serious mental illnesses, and site visits to Inova Loudoun Behavioral Services (ILBHS), the Homeless Shelter, and MHSADS offices at the Shenandoah Building. It was taught by Loudoun certified CIT Sheriff’s Deputies and professionals from MHSADS, the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Office, and other experts within the field. During the week-long training, students were introduced to medical, social, psychological and legal aspects associated with mental illness. The collaborative program joined the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Courts; Loudoun County Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Developmental Health Services (MHSADS); Friends of Loudoun Mental Health; the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Northern Virginia; the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney; the Loudoun County Office of the Public Defender; the Leesburg Police Department; the Purcellville Police Department; the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department; Inova Loudoun Hospital; StoneSprings Hospital Center; Virginia Veterans and Family Services; and Retired Col. Scot Campbell in an effort to allow mentally ill persons to receive necessary treatment to become stabilized and work toward recovery. The training includes site vists and partnerships with Ken Falke and the staff from Boulder Crest (healing one veteran at a time) and the Paxton Campus “A Life Like Yours” (ALLY) Advocacy Center. The CIT program is designed to promote positive interaction between law enforcement and persons in crisis and reduce injuries to deputies and persons suffering from mental illness. ###