Starkville police celebrate officers’ graduation from crisis intervention training

The Starkville Police Department on Facebook congratulated Officers Deveair Salter and Chris Swinford on their graduation from Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and said Corporal Kenya Bibbs was invited to give remarks to the graduates.

The department said the post highlighted the wider context that a lack of mental health crisis services across the U.S. has resulted in law enforcement officers serving as first responders to most crises. The post described CIT as an innovative, community-based approach to improve the outcomes of those encounters.

CIT programs are designed to give officers tools to respond to mental health emergencies with the goal of increasing safety and connecting people to appropriate care. Such programs often bring together law enforcement, mental health providers and community advocates and can include training in de-escalation and referral to services.

Local law enforcement agencies have increasingly emphasized crisis intervention training as communities grapple with limited behavioral health resources. We will provide more information as it becomes available.