11/04/2025
Twelve law enforcement officers and a mobile crisis response worker completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and were honored at a luncheon at Riser’s Tavern on the Links on October 28.
CIT is a 40-hour course, sponsored locally by the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board with support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, that teaches officers skills needed to more effectively respond to calls involving individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The class was once again hosted this year by the St. Clair Township Police Department and was held in the Township Administration Building’s Community Room.
The goals of the CIT program are:
• To improve safety during law enforcement encounters with people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, for everyone involved.
• To increase connections to effective and timely behavioral health services for people in crisis.
• To use law enforcement strategically during crisis situations – such as when there is an imminent threat to safety or a criminal concern – and increase the role of behavioral health professionals, peer support specialists, and other community supports.
• To reduce the trauma that people experience during a behavioral health crisis and thus contribute to their long-term recovery.
Throughout the week, officers learned more about mental illness and substance abuse, practiced de-escalation and active listening, learned more about topics such as use of force, civil commitments, officer self care, su***de prevention, human trafficking, geriatric issues, veteran concerns, individuals with developmental disabilities, domestic violence and protection orders, local drug trends, and youth trauma, and were given a wealth of information about local resources that are available.
Presenters included Maureen Waybright, Lori Colian, and Jennifer Whitman of the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board; Kelli Hephner of Heroes and Halos and the First Responder Wellness Coordinator; Robert Sanchez, a CIT officer, Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office deputy, and member of the First Responder Wellness Peer Team; Tina Deal-Hendon of Children’s Services; Steve Ullom of Family and Children First Council; Chad Jakubowski, Jaimie Rice, Jayne Gallagher and Mark Stillion of the Counseling Center; Josh Dankovich and Tawnia Jenkins of Family Recovery Center; Brenda Hamilton and residents of the Fleming House; Peer Supporters and Mobile Crisis Response Team members Jaime McMillin, Glen McMillin, and Jerrett Carroll; James McGaffick of Community Action Agency; Sara Pease of New Day/On Demand Counseling; Adam D’Apolito of Flying High Inc.; Erin Atkinson of the One Ohio Resource Hub; Jesse Smith of the Columbiana County Drug Task Force; Victim Advocate Elaine Kloss; Dan Haeuter of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force; Krista Peddicord and Bret Hartup of the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office; Doug Doyle of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio; Anne Weigle of Juvenile Court; Holly Adams of the Columbiana County Board of Developmental Disabilities; Seth Walker of Threshold Residential Services; Ryan Pike of the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office; and Mark Edwards of Columbiana Police Department.
The 2025 CIT graduates include David Miller and Jordin Campbell from the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office; Courtney Gilbert from the Columbiana Police Department; Michael Boyd and Flisha Kelsey from the East Liverpool Police Department; Gavin Rambo from the Leetonia Police Department; Matthew DeNiro and William Dickson from the Lisbon Police Department; Joshua Yeager from the Lisbon Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol; Austin Sinkovich and Channing Hank from the Salem Police Department; Russell Beatty from the Washingtonville Police Department; and Jaime McMillin from the Mobile Crisis Response Team.
CCMHRSB provides the CIT training to officers annually, free of charge, and a companion course is offered for dispatchers. This most recent class brings the total number of officers, dispatchers, and civilians trained through the CCMHRSB program up to 134.
During the graduation luncheon, the CIT Officer of the Year award was presented to Don Johnson. A member of the East Palestine Police Department, Johnson began his law enforcement career in the mid 1990s. He has served many roles during his career, including patrolman and K9 officer, and is currently a Lieutenant with the department. He graduated from CIT training in 2024 and is a strong advocate for helping those who are in crisis and continuously works with the Mobile Crisis Response Team to help get those individuals into treatment. He also recognizes the need to support other first responders who may be impacted by a critical incident, and currently serves on the county’s Peer Support Team for first responders and sits on the Board of Directors for Camp Braveheart, a place where first responders and their families can find healing and resiliency through nature.
