Wake First Responders, Officers, Volunteers honored with Crisis Intervention Team Awards

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Dozens were honored for their role in helping Triangle residents in crisis during the Annual Wake Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) awards luncheon Thursday.

The event celebrates the hard work of local CIT officers, EMS staff, and volunteers who were able to successfully assist someone with mental health, substance use, or intellectual developmental disability in crisis in the last year.

"Crisis Intervention Team is more than training, it's really about teamwork, it gives them 40 hours of additional skills under their belt, to be able to intervene with people that are having mental health behavioral health crises," explained James Osborn Director of Community Education and Outreach with Alliance Health, a sponsor of the luncheon and community partner with Triangle CIT teams.

"They do extremely important work in the community. And also, each of these law enforcement officers and their departments has committed a tremendous amount of resources to help our citizens that have mental health challenges," Osborn added.

Speaker and Marine Veteran, Ricky Johnson spoke during the luncheon about the important work officers and volunteers do to help families in crisis. Johnson struggled with behavioral and substance issues and lost a son to suicide and now works as a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist and is trained in Wellness Recovery Action Plan, Question Persuade Refer suicide prevention and Trauma-Informed care.

Awards were handed out to nominated individuals from departments across Wake County