Spring CIT Class

Back row from left to right: Of. Lou Lawson (Kent PD), Disp. Kristen Balasz (Portage County Sheriff’s Office), Of. Carly Jones (Portage County Adult Probation), Chief Brian Byard (Aurora PD), Of. Cody Dumont (Brimfield PD), Of. Nicholas Haddad (Portage County Adult Probation), Of. Caroline Karlson (Portage County Adult Probation), Ptl. Chaz Dash (UH Portage Medical Center PD), Of. Dave Moore (Portage County Adult Probation).

Bottom row left to right:  Ptl. Joseph Nelson (UH Portage Medical Center PD), Disp. Angela Rein (Streetsboro PD), Of. Laura Clague (Aurora PD), Of. Chris McKenzie (Brimfield PD), Disp. Chrystal Skotschir (Portage County Sheriff’s Office), Of. Kevin Love (Mogadore PD)

The Spring Crisis Intervention Team Class of 2024 for Portage County graduated 15 police officers, dispatchers, and probation officers from Portage County. The class spent a week learning tools to de-escalate individuals experiencing mental health crisis and the local resources to connect them with.

The class learned from local experts on topics such as first episode of psychosis, human trafficking, substance use disorder, first responder self-care, Portage Specialty dockets, intellectual disabilities, trauma, autism, along with the communication skills for handling crisis situations.

The class met with people with lived substance abuse and mental illness experience and learned about their struggles, how they have overcome them, and are maintaining recovery. The class toured several of the local residential treatment facilities, the homeless shelter, children's advocacy center, and withdrawal management facility in Portage County.