Hamilton County, TN – On Friday, October 22, 2021, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Chattanooga Police Department hosted a joint graduation ceremony for the most recent graduates of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)Certification Program.

Last week’s 40-hour training was submitted and approved by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The curriculum is a week of intense training provided by volunteer mental health professionals, advocates and seasoned CIT Officers. The training consists of classroom lectures, visits to various mental health facilities and group homes where consumers lead discussions, scenario based de-escalation skills training using role play exercises.

This most recent graduation included graduates from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Chattanooga Police Department, Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Police Department, Collegedale Police Department, Chattanooga State Police Department, Signal Mountain Police Department, Hamilton County 911, and Amerimed EMS.

The training is designed to improve officers’ ability to safely intervene, link consumers to mental health services, and divert them from the criminal justice system when appropriate. The CIT training includes several blocks of instruction including, but certainly not limited to, introduction of Clinical Issues, Psychotropic Medication and Side Effects, Substance Abuse and Co-occurring Disorders, Distressing Voices Simulation, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Legal Issues and Mental Health Law, Family and Consumer Perspectives, and Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Please offer your congratulations to the newest CIT Team members for the HCSO:

Uniformed Services

Mickey Robinson

Ricardo Santiago

Corrections Division

Amy Ariaza

Susan Awad

Amadou Diaw

Tanner Jackson

Edgar Tumlin, III

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program has brought together a powerful partnership between law enforcement and the mental health community that works diligently to get consumers the help they need and deserve.