MORGANTOWN — A weeklong training aimed at improving crisis response brought together law enforcement officers, social workers and addiction and mental health professionals from across the state to Morgantown this month.
“It was a 40-hour training course that was put on and attended by the Morgantown Police Department, other area police departments, and our social service providers and stakeholders,” said Deputy Chief of Police Chris Ruehmer. “It was a conglomeration of law enforcement, mental health, substance use, disorder treatment providers, outreach workers and stakeholders in the greater Morgantown area.”
The training, known as Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, was held at the Morgantown Police Department’s training center and focused on connecting first responders with local service providers in an effort to direct individuals in crisis toward help instead of jail.
“The goal is to take individuals that are in crisis, individuals that are suffering from substance use disorder and steer them away from the criminal justice system, and into service providers that can help them get on a path toward recovery,” Ruehmer said.
The program covered several key components: communication between agencies, identification of individuals in crisis and de-escalation techniques. Officers were trained to better recognize when someone is experiencing a mental health or substance-related crisis and how to respond effectively.
“When police are dealing with individuals in crisis, they need to bring the tension down to a place where they’re relatively calm and can communicate,” Ruehmer explained. “That’s when you can understand each other and identify what their needs are specifically.”
De-escalation, Ruehmer said, often relies on time and distance, allowing officers to slow situations down and respond safely without the immediate use of force.
“Sometimes that requires that forceful, authoritarian voice — kind of a ‘mom voice,’ if you will — to let an individual know it’s a serious situation,” he said. “Obviously, we want to be professional and safeguard the individual and the public.”
The training also included role-playing scenarios to give participants a realistic feel for handling tense, unpredictable encounters. The goal is for officers to be able to make the proper referral and ensure individuals receive the services they need.
Morgantown is one of the few cities in West Virginia with a full-time social worker embedded in the police department. Ruehmer said that partnership has already made a major impact.
“I can tell you for a fact that she is personally responsible for saving lives — people that wouldn’t be with us today had it not been for the interaction that Kelly Rice brings to an individual in crisis,” Ruehmer said. “It’s almost like a mentor to help them understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Attendees traveled from across the state, with some coming from as far as four hours away to take part.
“The feedback was very positive,” Ruehmer said. “Everyone who attended was grateful to have had the opportunity to be there. Our goal is to make it even more available and to provide ongoing training.”
While the work is challenging and outcomes are not always immediate, Ruehmer emphasized that persistence and compassion are key.
“Sometimes we try and fail, and we try and fail until eventually it takes,” he said. “Addiction is a very difficult thing… but this kind of training gives us the tools to help people out of that very dark place they’re in.”
