Members of Local Law Enforcement Honored for Completing Program

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board honored members of local law enforcement agencies who completed the board’s Crisis Intervention Training.

A graduation ceremony was held Friday at the YMCA of Youngstown.

Crisis Intervention Training is a 40-hour program that aims to improve the connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness and their families. 

The program equips officers with the tools and resources to assist individuals in crisis while ensuring officer and community safety when responding.

The program is offered through a partnership with NAMI Mahoning Valley, which has trained at least one officer at every local police department.

“Equipping local law enforcement with the training to respond to and address a crisis situation is a critical component to the work we do to address mental health in the community,” said Duane Piccirilli, executive director of the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board. “As the program continues to grow, we’re honored that we’ve been able to have at least one officer at every local police department trained in crisis intervention.”

Here are the law enforcement personnel who received CIT certification:

• Officer Chet Flinkinger, Akron Children’s.
• Officers Connor Grenier and Patrick Flara, Austintown.
• Officer Timothy John Tusek, Beaver Township.
• Officers John Gocala and Ryan Jones, Boardman.
• Officers Ellie Davidson and Alyssa Fillion, Canfield.
• Officer Carson Carrell, Lake Milton.
• Officer Alena Limperos, Millcreek.
• Officer Daniel Superak, Poland Township.
• Officer Caitlin Morozov, Springfield.
• Officer Bruce Simeone, Youngstown Municipal.
• Officers Andrew Balog and Chad Shaffer, Youngstown.
• Officers Haley Marshburn and Caitlyn Kane, Youngstown State University.
• Sgt. Gwendolyn Graham and Deputies Marcella Walter and Brian Hull, Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.
• Officers Denzel Baugh, Donna Adams and Kelly Thomas, State of Ohio Parole.

Pictured at top: Back row, from left: Daniel Superak, Andrew Balog, Chad Shaffer, Chet Flinkinger, John Gocala, Patrick Flara, Brian Hull, Timothy Tusek, Marcella Walter and Carson Carrell; front row, from left: Kelly Thomas, Ellie Davidson, Caitlin Kane, Haley Mashburn, Caitlin Morozov, Alyssa Fillion, Alena Limperos, Gwedolyn Graham, Bruce Simeone, Connor Grenier, Denzel Baugh and Donna Adams.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.