Mental Health Board Celebrates Crisis Training Grads

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board, in partnership with NAMI Mahoning Valley, recognized local police officers who completed the board’s crisis intervention training with a graduation ceremony Friday. 

Crisis intervention training is a 40-hour program with the goal of improving the connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness and their families, according to a news release issued following the ceremony. Through this program, local officers are equipped with the tools and resources to assist individuals in crisis while ensuring officer and community safety when responding.  

“Oftentimes our local law enforcement officers are the first responders to a mental health crisis. With this training, we’re giving them the tools and knowledge they need to address these situations in a way that is safe for themselves, the individual and the community,” said Duane Piccirilli, Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board executive director. 

The program has trained at least one officer at every local police department. 

Gallery images include CIT graduates from Austintown Township, Lake Milton and North Jackson, Canfield Township, Akron Children’s Hospital Police Department, and Boardman Township.

The following officers received their CIT certification:

Austintown Township Police Department

• Officer Ryan Mong
• Officer De-Ondrea Hilson
• Officer Matt Belish
• Officer Alex Kooyman

Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoing Valley

• Sgt. Michael Longo

Boardman Township Police Department

• Officer Justin Binkiewicz
• Officer Nicolas Rusyn

Canfield Township Police Department

• Sgt. Kyle Young

Lake Milton Police Department

• Officer Eliah Stockmaster
• Officer Adelimarie Quinones Cruz

North Jackson Township Police Department

• Officer Desmond Gray
• Officer Raymond Zebosky III 

Youngstown Police Department

• Officer Juan Fornore
• Officer Tony Kaleugher
• Officer Dylan Bell 

Youngstown Housing Code Enforcement Officer

• Officer David Smith 

Youngstown Municipal Court

• Chief Angela Miner
• Officer Neil Spitler 

Police Chaplains

• Rev. Lewis Macklin

“We’re proud that 100 percent of our police departments have at least one trained officer and we hope to continue to grow this program and see those numbers increase even more,” Piccirilli said.

Pictured at top: Youngstown Police Chief Carl Davis, Officer Tony Kaleugher, Officer Juan Fornore, Officer Dylan Bell, Youngstown Municipal Courts Chief Angela Miner and Officer Neil Spitler, and YPD Detective Sgt. Jerry Fulmer.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.