Moultrie Observer

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  • Moultrie Police Sgt. Rob Rodriguez, second row left, and Colquitt County E-911 supervisor Gwendolyn Knighton, second row, fifth from right, were the two local personnel who recently received certification as Crisis Intervention Team trainers. Submitted photo

    0420 Mental Health Training.jpg

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April 30, 2012

Rodriguez, Knighton certify as NAMI trainers

Staff Reports The Moultrie Observer

MOULTRIE — Sgt. Rob Rodriguez of the Moultrie Police Department, and Gwendolyn Knighton, E-911 supervisor, recently achieved certification as Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Trainers along with other law enforcement officers and first responders from across Georgia.

The intensive training of trainers session was taught in Henry County by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia CIT Coordinator Pat Strode. The Georgia CIT Program is a dynamic collaboration of professionals committed to ensuring that persons with mental illnesses and other brain disorders receive treatment, in lieu of incarceration in most cases, according to a press release from NAMI.

 Rodriguez, Judy Payne of Turning Point Hospital, and Denise Bell of Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, all members of the Archway-Healthy Colquitt Coalition Mental Health Subcommittee, collaborated to host a week of CIT training in Moultrie the first week of March. Sixteen local and area participants completed the 40-hour course taught by NAMI-Georgia personnel.

MPD Chief Frank Lang, also a member of the Mental Health Subcommittee, is committed to increasing the number of local CIT officers, the press release said. Having Rodriguez and Knighton on board as certified CIT trainers will facilitate reaching that goal. Law enforcement officers who successfully complete the course are equipped with the skills necessary to safely and effectively respond to individuals with mental health needs who are in crisis, the release said.

The curriculum is approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Classroom instruction addresses mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases. Participants make site visits to the local emergency receiving facility and psychiatric hospital. Participants undergo performance-based training to develop de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention skills via role-play scenarios. Plans are under way to offer another CIT training in Moultrie this fall.

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