Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Department of Detention and Corrections
Patrol Operation Bureau
-CIT/CISM Section

National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pinellas County, Florida (NAMI)

Pinellas CIT Committee

32 Graduates from:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office DDC

What:
All is set for Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Department of Detention and Corrections Crisis Intervention Team graduation ceremony.

When: 
The ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 2016.

Where: 
The ceremony will be held at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Administration Building located at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo.

Why/How: 
Thirty-two PCSO deputies will graduate from the DDC Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training this Friday, September 30, 2016.

April Lott, chair of the Pinellas CIT Committee will deliver the keynote address.

This is the 17th year since the establishment of CIT in Pinellas County. Currently a three-year plan is in effect to get all DDC deputies trained.

In 1999, Pinellas County Mental Health/Substance Abuse Coalition conducted the first CIT course in Florida and has been instrumental in promoting the program throughout the state.

This DDC Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program is a specialized training and practice for correctional deputies. The cornerstone of CIT is a 40-hour course taught, free of charge, by mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, persons with a mental illness diagnosis and advocates.

The training includes essential information about mental illnesses and how to recognize it; information about the local mental health system; de-escalation skills; and, the opportunity to learn first-hand from consumers and family members about their experiences.

Media is invited to cover the graduation. For additional information, contact the Sheriff’s Public Information Office at (727) 582-6221.