Wheeling Police Chief Touts Benefits of Crisis Intervention Teams
Emma Delk Trending
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger and Director of Northwood Health Systems' Crisis Services Kristy Myers discussed the life-saving abilities of CIT programs at the second-annual Peer Recovery Conference to inspire drug treatment specialists from across the state to begin their own.
Held at Oglebay Park, the Peer Recovery Conference gathers peer-support specialists and recovery coaches from across West Virginia to share information regarding drug addiction and treatment.
Spearheading the creation of the WPD's Crisis Intervention Team, Schwertfeger explained that CIT programs seek to limit the lethal force officers use in interactions with subjects suffering from addiction. Over 40 hours of training, officers are taught how to navigate drug situations properly to direct the subject to proper treatment, avoiding placing them into the criminal justice system.
Working hand-in-hand with the WPD to implement the program is Northwood Health System's Crisis Stabilization Units, which Myers explained responds to calls from the WPD to provide assistance in handling individuals suffering a mental health crises.
"Our goal is to meet that individual where they are, walk them through the crisis and refer them to services," said Myers. "The goal is we'll be able to get them re-stabilized and then refer to outpatient services."
Emphasizing the importance of CIT programs, Schwertfeger shared stories from his time as an officer with the Virginia Police Department. After undergoing CIT training there, Schwertfeger found he was better equipped to de-escalate situations with individuals in mental health crises.
Witnessing firsthand the positive impact of approaching subjects struggling with addiction compassion, Schwertfeger now strives to spread the CIT initiative he brought to Wheeling to the rest of the state.
During their presentation, audience members chimed in with questions regarding the logistics of beginning a CIT program in their area. One peer recovery coach wondered how they could garner support from local police forces to get started.
"The thing I tell police chiefs is, 'If you're truly a responsible leader that cares about your community, why wouldn't you start one?'" said Schwertfeger. "You need to let them know that right now, we owe it to everyone, including our own staff, to try to minimize these types of adverse outcomes."
Some audience members were already moved into action by Schwertfeger's words. Parkersburg-area peer recovery coaches Emily Proscia and Sara Smith had begun taking steps to implement a CIT program in their city, with Smith contacting the Parkersburg Chief of Police to create one.
Admitting the topic gets her "a little worked up," Proscia believes her city would "absolutely benefit" from a CIT program, as she has witnessed the lethal outcomes that can occur when officers lack the knowledge of how to handle those struggling with addiction.
"I've had situations with the police where they weren't trained in scenarios involving drug addiction, and lives were lost," said Proscia.
Both hope that implementing a CIT program in their town would change not only how policemen treat those with addiction but the rest of the population as well.
"There is definitely a lot of stigma in our town when it comes to addiction," explained Smith. "Seeing negativity surrounding those suffering from addiction through things like "Scanner Talk" groups on Facebook has been so sad and hurtful."
The public beginning to recognize the kinder approach Wheeling police now take when handling drug-addicted individuals has demonstrated to Schwertfeger how the program pays off.
"People stop me all the time and tell me that the Wheeling Police Department has changed," he explained. "I hear that because they are seeing a professional police force with officers that no longer go into situations thinking, 'I'm going to show up and take somebody to jail.' It's now more compassionate because we listen to individuals to try to find alternative ways to help them rather than use lethal force."