County Board Public Works Committee

Walworth County Sheriff's Office 1770 County Road NN, P.O. Box 1004, Elkhorn, WI 53121 262-741-4400 (non-emergency)

Kurt Picknell, Sheriff Kevin Williams, Undersheriff

PRESS RELEASE

Date: November 18, 2016 Type: Crisis Intervention Training

Released by: Lt. Todd Neumann Contact Person: Lt. Todd Neumann 262-741-4680

Narrative

Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections Officers, along with Officers from the Lake Geneva Police Department, recently completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. Walworth County Health and Human Services Department spearheaded the training.

Elizabeth Aldred, Director of the Walworth County Health and Human Services said; "Crisis Intervention works closely with our Sheriff’s Office to serve people during some of the most difficult times in their lives. By partnering with Health and Human Services in the CIT program, our Sheriff’s Office has shown its dedication to providing the best service to those most vulnerable. The collaboration allows staff from both departments to see a crisis from different perspectives, which creates better outcomes."

Participants learned how to recognize signs of mental illness. This 40 hour course included training to de-escalate violent situations. Participants also learned about suicide assessment.

Currently about one half of the Sheriff’s Office Deputies and many of the corrections officers have completed CIT training. The long term goal is to have the entire department trained.

"The Sheriff's Office and the Health and Human Services Department have always worked collaboratively. This Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is another example of ongoing training designed to create understanding and skill development. The goal of the training will hopefully defuse challenging, disruptive or potentially violent behavior", said Sheriff Kurt Picknell.