Moultrie, Ga. —With law enforcement interaction among the public constantly under scrutiny across the country,  the Moultrie Police Department is taking every step to better serve its residents. The MPD in collaboration with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Georgia and NAMI Moultrie will hold its Introduction to Behavioral Health and Addictive Disease class March 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The class is open to the public, including all law enforcement, first responders, security personnel and educators. The eight-hour training program includes class instruction over a variety of topics, according to documents provided by the police department.

The Introduction to Behavioral Health and Addictive Disease class will cover an introduction to the Georgia Crisis Intervention Team program (CIT), which is the 40-hour course with curriculum approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, said Moultrie Police Lt. Daniel Lindsay.

“We want to be a little more humane, as punishment by jail is not always the answer,” said Lindsay. “By bettering law enforcements’ people skills and teaching them how to talk to people and de-escalate situations, we’re building better rapport for law enforcement.”

Lindsay said that he wants to show the public that the police department is there to help people who may have a mental illness, not just to arrest people.

There have been several cases in the past couple of years where law enforcement had to interact with mental health issues. One involved a fatal shooting of a suspect, and another ended less violently as mental health professionals were brought in to help resolve a long standoff situation.

“People who have health issues….jail doesn’t save that,” said Lindsay.

“Maybe we can use our interaction with them to get them the help that they need,” said Lindsay, “to be placed somewhere, to take them to get a mental health evaluation.”

Twelve employees from the MPD have undergone the CIT training course. These employees include patrol offices, investigations and administration personnel.

Lindsay said that seats are limited for the course and some 10 seats already have been filled.

The class will be held at the Community Action Council’s east conference room, and pre-registration is required to attend the course on March 8.

For more information about the class, email Lt. Lindsay at daniel.lindsay@moultriega.com.