Special Operations
Crisis Intervention Team
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a model for community policing that brings together law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency departments and individuals with mental illness and their families to improve responses to people in crisis. CIT programs enhance communication, identify mental health resources for assisting people in crisis and ensure that officers get the training and support that they need.
The Sheriff's Office participates in the Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Services Board Crisis Intervention Team, providing instructors and students for the training it conducts in the region several times a year. The Sheriff's Office also contributes to training, research, and efficacy measurement by providing data from contacts that CIT-Trained Deputies have with the community.
What Does CIT Training Include?
CIT programs provide officers with 40 hours of intensive training, including:
- Learning from mental health professionals and experienced officers in your community. One of the reasons CIT is successful is that it connects officers with a team of clinicians and fellow officers who can advise, problem-solve and support them when a challenging situation occurs.
- Personal interaction with people who have experienced and recovered from mental health crisis and with family members who have cared for loved ones with mental illness. NAMI members present at the training, providing officers a first-hand opportunity to hear stories of recovery, ask questions and learn what helps (and harms) when a person is in a crisis.
- Verbal de-escalation skills. CIT teaches a new set of skills for ensuring officer safety – the words, approach and body language that convince a person to get help, or defuse a potentially violent encounter.
- Scenario-based training on responding to crises. With the help of volunteers or actors, officers practice their skills in common crisis situations, and get immediate feedback from instructors and classmates.
(information from NAMI)
Special Response Team
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team is a special unit comprised of trained and experienced Deputies from Patrol, Investigations, and our Auxiliary that provide emergency response to Richmond County for situations that include:
- hostage rescue,
- barricaded gunman,
- counter-sniper operations,
- high-risk warrant service,
- high-risk apprehension,
- high-risk security operations,
- terrorism response,
- special assignments and
- other incidents which exceed the capability and/or capacity of first responders and/or investigative units.
The training that members participate in intially last for weeks covering many subjects, and the team trains frequently in order to remain ready for emergency response.
Crime Prevention / Community Policing
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office has a full time Deputy assigned as the Crime Prevention, who coordinates the Sheriff's Office's Crime Prevention and Community Policing Programs. Currently, the Crime Prevention Unit coordinates:
Crime Prevention including the Prescription Drug Turn In, Fingerprinting, Presentation Requests, Safety Assessments and Surveys, and Extra Patrols Requests,
Public Education including Concealed Handgun Courses and Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events,
And more! Click here for more information!