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45 Minutes of Caring: One Police Officer's CIT Training Prevents a Suicide

October 13, 2016  |  Cit, Crisis intervention training, Mental illness, Partners, Police, Suicide prevention, Training

What\'s it like for a police officer to get that call to help someone who may be ready to take his or her own life? For those like Loveland police officer Amy Campbell who took Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training through MHRS, the strategies and tactics learned in class kick in and, as in Officer Campbell\'s case, can help save a life.

Officer Campbell and others from surrounding jurisdictions were called to a bridge along I-275 one August night. There they found a man straddling a concrete wall on the overpass. When Officer Campbell was asked to step in and talk with the man, she used her CIT training to connect with him. They talked for 45 minutes. She convinced the man go with other officers to talk with someone.

He\'s alive today and in recovery. And Officer Campbell has since talked with that man on a couple of occasions, offering support and encouragement as he continues his counseling. The Loveland Police Department awarded Officer Campbell the Gallantry Star on September 27th for saving another person\'s life.

Officer Campbell wrote of her CIT training, "The one speaker who put things in perspective that night for me was (a woman) who suffers from bipolar disorder. Her story and descriptions of the symptoms and frustrations help me connect with the man I met that night."

Read more about Officer Campbell\'s story and learn about the CIT program.