Portage County Crisis Intervention Team graduates new class

The newest graduates of the Portage County Crisis Intervention Team training finished the program in December with an intense session of role-playing scenarios where they must de-escalate individuals in crisis. The exercise is part of a week-long training to provide officers with tools to help persons in crisis who may also have a mental illness. CIT is sponsored by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County in partnership with the Portage County Sheriff’s Office. The team, which was established in 2006, has trained 234 members. New team members for 2013 are: front row seated, left to right, Officer Dan Mulcahy, Streetsboro Police; Officer Bridget Wagner, Kent State University Police Services; Corrections Officer Shereen Sharabi, Sheriff’s Office; Brittany Conrad, Coleman Professional Services; and Officer Ralph Stover, KSU Police Services; second row standing, left to right, Officer Michael Graham, Streetsboro Police; Officer Gene Larson, Streetsboro Police; Deputy Kelly DiBona, Sheriff’s Office; Corrections Officer Janice Clark, Sheriff’s Office; Lt. Troy Beaver, Streetsboro Police; Corrections Officer Claudette McCullough, Sheriff’s Office; Michael Wisniewski, Coleman;  Officer Devin Brown, Hiram Police; Norm Cerny, Coleman; Patrolman Andy Wert, Ravenna Police;  intern Liuhong Yang, Sheriff’s Office; Patrolman Benjamin Vecchio, Ravenna Police; Richard Blasko; Interim Associate Vice President at Robinson Memorial Hospital; Officer Hoyle West, Hiram Police; and Officer Tony Battista, Hiram Police. Training leaders are Sgt. Andy Suvada of Streetsboro Police, Mental Health & Recovery Board Executive Director Joel Mowrey, Ph.D., Officer Jeff Futo of KSU Police Services and Major Dennis Missimi of the Sheriff’s Office.