Centre County has a ‘model’ training program for first responders. Here’s how it helps

Bret Pallotto
·2 min read

The leader of Pennsylvania’s justice planning and policymaking agency praised Friday a training that prepares first responders in Centre County to help people who are in the midst of a crisis, an increasingly common part of their jobs.

Mike Pennington, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, said Centre County’s Crisis Intervention Team training is a “robust program that serves as a model” for the rest of the state.

“When an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis, it’s critical that the first responders — whether that be law enforcement, emergency dispatchers, or others — have the tools and skills to effectively communicate with and direct individuals to the appropriate services in the community which meets their needs,” Pennington said. “The Centre County CIT program is an example of a community working together to support the behavioral health of its citizens. These programs can truly make a difference in the life of someone experiencing a crisis.”

Centre County CIT Coordinator Tracy Small said 480 first responders have been certified since the program launched in 2011, when it was one of the first of its kind in the state. There are now about 40 recognized CIT programs in Pennsylvania.

The most recent batch of graduates included officers from State College, Patton Township and Penn State police, as well as a handful of county agencies. Those who complete the training receive a pin to wear on their uniform so they can be identified by the public as a CIT-trained officer.

“It was more extensive than what we learned in the academy,” rookie State College police officer Dylan James said. “It was really good to do the scenarios and get down to a basic communication level and how you can help people.”

Police officers in Centre County have said in recent years that responding to people in crisis has become more commonplace as awareness of mental illness and treatment options have expanded.

The 40-hour training takes place twice a year and places an emphasis on crisis resolution skills, understanding mental illness and services that are available. It includes lectures, on-site visitation, interactions with people who have a mental illness and scenario-based training.

“I think it really opens up a lot of doors for me in this career because now going forward it helps me, I would like to think, be able to identify ‘Hey, this person might have X, Y, Z. I need to kind of take a little bit of a different approach,’ ” rookie Patton Township police officer Michael Ottolini said. “... It just helps. It helps me when I’m out driving around to maybe have a different approach.”

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