During the week of June 13, 2022, several agencies came together to provide Crisis Intervention Team Training for members of Ulster County Law Enforcement.  The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program instructs uniformed members of the service on how to effectively respond to critical incidents and communicate with emotionally disturbed persons, providing instruction in de-escalation techniques. Crisis Intervention Team-based policing brings together the criminal justice and mental health systems with the joint goal of reducing the risk of injury to police officers and emotionally disturbed persons, or persons in crisis, while promptly, effectively, and efficiently diverting such persons from the criminal justice system to mental health treatment, when appropriate. This training program emphasizes that our Law Enforcement values human life, respects the dignity of each individual, and renders our services with courtesy and civility. The training concepts include a best practices approach to safely and effectively address the needs of persons in crisis. Crisis communication is the foundation of this program and uniformed members of the service learn skills to realistically de-escalate crisis situations. 

During this training cycle, Detective Ryan Hampel  and Police Officer Chelsea Marino of the Saugerties Police Department were certified as CIT officers.

A special thanks to the following agencies who together provided this valuable training and instruction for our law enforcement agencies:  

The Town of Saugerties Police Department, The Ulster County Sheriff's Office, The New Paltz Police Department, People USA, Ulster County Mental Health, Step One and ACCESS supports for living.  Without the dedication from these various agencies this training would not be possible.

Agencies that participated in the training included The City of Kingston Police Department, Ulster County Sheriff's Office, Town of Saugerties Police Department, Town of New Paltz Police Department, Town of Olive Police Department, Town of Shandaken Police Department, The Town of Ulster Police Department, Ulster County Emergency Communications, and Ulster County Probation.