GBI Director to Recognize Sheriff Modena

DECATUR – Tomorrow at 2:30pm, GBI Director Vernon Keenan will be visiting Bibb County Sheriff Jerry Modena to recognize the Sheriff for his leadership in advancing the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program in Georgia.

The mission of the Georgia Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is to equip and train Georgia law enforcement officers with the skills to assist people with mental illness and other brain disorders in crisis, thereby advancing public safety and reducing stigma.

Director Keenan stated, “Sheriff Modena is a strong advocate for obtaining treatment for those who suffer from mental illness as an alternative to incarceration, and he frequently collaborates with the local mental health providers in Bibb County to further this goal.   Sheriff Modena has truly been a CIT leader within his own department and his community.” 

CIT is a 40-hour, five day course, which has been approved by the Georgia Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Council.   The training course is comprised of both classroom instruction and practical law enforcement training given by mental health professionals, other content experts, and trained CIT law enforcement instructors.  To date, there are over 2,000 officers statewide trained in CIT.

For more information on the CIT Program, please visit the GBI web site at http://gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,67862954_88554454,00.html

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