The Clarksville Police Department has officially launched the City’s first Crisis Intervention to assist in cases where individuals face mental illness or emotional crisis.
According to a news release, 18 members of the police department and five members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office recently attended and graduated from a 40-hour Crisis Intervention class led by the National Alliance on Mental Illness at the Clarksville Police Department Training Complex. The effort to help those who suffer with mental illness during crisis situations and help de-escalate situations through specialized responses.
This calendar year, the Clarksville Police Department has responded to over 682 calls for service requiring mental health transport and over 165 calls for suicide or suicide attempts.
The police officers participating in the initiative will not be dedicated explicitly to mental crises, but they will be readily available to assist in the rare situations where CIT officers are not initially involved.