Iowa City Police Officers Present At Crisis Intervention Team International Conference

Press release from the City of Iowa City:

August 24, 2021

Last week, Iowa City Police Sgt. Andrew McKnight and Officer Colin Fowler presented at the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) International Conference. This year's conference was hosted in Phoenix, Ariz., from Aug. 16-18, 2021.

At the conference, McKnight and Fowler gave a presentation titled, "Culture & Mental Health: Eliciting the Big Picture During Crisis Intervention." Their presentation emphasized the importance of quickly developing trust when intervening with someone experiencing a crisis and doesn't share the same cultural background. A successful interaction can be achieved by communicating — both verbally and non-verbally — that you are knowledgeable and accepting of cultural differences.

Improving one’s cultural intelligence leads to the integration of knowledge and information about individuals and groups which helps to inform specific approaches and techniques. Culturally competent crisis response works to break down barriers that otherwise may impede communication and limit the effectiveness of the intervention.

Since 2016, McKnight - who serves on the board for NAMI Johnson County - and Fowler have delivered presentations to entities across Eastern Iowa, including the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Chatham Oaks and United Action for Youth. In 2019, they were invited to present at that year's CIT International Conference in Seattle, Wash.

This press release was produced by the City of Iowa City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.