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‘What can we do?’

Posted on September 16, 2010December 15, 2022 by Staff

Nicole Howard

As a Carrboro police officer, I have the opportunity to interact with a diverse population of people. Unfortunately, in this career as in many other public service-oriented fields, we often come into contact with people who are experiencing a crisis or in need of specialized services.

Recently, three co-workers and I attended a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program in Hillsborough. Coordinated by the OPC Area Program, CIT is a collaboration of law-enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations (the Mental Health Association in Orange County and NAMI), treatment providers (such as Freedom House Recovery Program) and OPC.

The course teaches law-enforcement officers not only how to interact with those suffering from mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities but also provides an overview of treatment resources available within the community. By utilizing local resources, law-enforcement officers may be able to divert, when appropriate, this population from the legal system and channel them to entities better suited to meet their needs, both short and long term.

The CIT training offered an impressive array of information. Over a five-day period, there were nearly 40 presenters, all sharing a veritable wealth of knowledge with CIT participants. The presenters ranged from occupational therapist Teepa Snow, addressing the afflictions typically seen in the elderly population, to Dr. Allen O’Barr of UNC, discussing brain development.

The nature of law enforcement often requires quick decisions with the intention of providing the most effective solution possible. Prior to the CIT training, my knowledge of local options for mental health and substance-abuse treatment was limited; post-CIT training, however, the gamut of available options has broadened considerably. The end result is faster, more effective treatment for citizens in crisis.

In addition to the plethora of presenters in the classroom, site visits to local mental health facilities and treatment centers were also made available. The site visits allowed CIT participants to tour facilities and receive additional information about the procedures involved when referring consumers and their families to treatment. Additional community resources for those living with severe and persistent mental illness were toured as well, including Carrboro’s Club Nova. Club Nova is a clubhouse and daily meeting place where members participate in the planning and administration of the facility.

Coordinators of the CIT training also provided a panel of local consumers and their families who spoke to the class of the difficulties of living with mental illness. Unlike a broken arm or a chest cold, mental illness is usually a lifelong, pervasive condition that can be devastating both to the individual and his or her family. Effective treatment options have evolved considerably in recent years and our community is fortunate to have well-trained and caring professionals to meet the needs of those among us who are affected by mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities.

In sum, I consider the CIT training program to be a very comprehensive, high-quality program. I would have considered the training a success if all I had taken away was the ability to provide a mentally ill person or substance abuser to a more timely and effective treatment option than the local emergency room; instead, I received a greater degree of understanding, empathy and compassion for those among us who are struggling in what can be a lonely, painful and misunderstood world.

Nicole Howard is an officer with the Carrboro Police Department.

1 thought on “‘What can we do?’”

  1. Gina says:
    October 20, 2010 at 7:17 am

    I’d like to thank both the Carrboro Police Department and Officer Howard for taking the time to learn more about mental illness.

    Law enforcement plays a crucial role in helping people and families who are in a mental health crisis.

    As a local citizen and a mother who has a son with a mental illness, I am very much encouraged by this story.

    Thank you for your time and service to the community.

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