Ashland County Officers Finish Crisis Intervention Training to Cut Use‑of‑Force

*TL;DR: More than 700 Ashland County officers finished a 40‑hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program designed to improve communication with people in mental‑health crises and lower the chance of force.

Context Law enforcement in Ashland County confronts mental‑health calls daily. Officers report that many incidents involve individuals experiencing severe stress, psychosis, or other psychiatric conditions. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board run the CIT curriculum to give first responders tools for safer, more humane interventions.

Key Facts - The CIT course spans 40 hours and uses unscripted role‑play based on real incidents. Participants practice de‑escalation, learn about diagnoses, medication effects, and legal considerations, and hear perspectives from people with lived experience and their families. - Since the program’s launch, over 700 local officers have graduated, making it the largest cohort of trained responders in the region. - Grant Lifer, an Ashland Police officer, said the training will help him “talk with people that are in crisis a lot easier” and understand their perspective, which he believes will reduce the likelihood of a use‑of‑force situation. - Deputy Koen Wood echoed the sentiment, noting that mental‑health issues “definitely play a big role today” in calls and that better understanding can improve outcomes. - The latest class, the 36th, included four Ashland County officers who completed the program for the first time.

What It Means Research on CIT programs, including randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, shows a correlation between training and lower rates of officer‑injury and civilian use‑of‑force. While the data do not prove causation, the association suggests that structured de‑escalation skills can change encounter dynamics. For residents, the training promises fewer violent confrontations and a higher chance that individuals in crisis receive mental‑health referrals rather than incarceration. For officers, it offers a clear protocol to manage volatile situations, potentially reducing liability and occupational stress.

Looking Ahead Watch for the county’s first post‑training incident reports, which will reveal whether the anticipated drop in force incidents materializes and how referral rates to mental‑health services change.