Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Awarded for Mental Illness Work

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has been named in two statewide awards handed down by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

On Monday, February 19, 2013 Major John McRainey, Chief Jailer of the Cumberland County Detention Center was awarded Outstanding Law Enforcement Executive of the Year.

According to Debbie Tanna, Public Information Officer, Major McRainey has been instrumental in organizing and supporting training sessions for law enforcement officers, who are exposed to people in the local community with various mental health challenges. Crisis Intervention Training, CIT, was developed to teach officers how to determine if a prisoner’s criminal behavior is exacerbated by a need for medical assistance and how best to refer appropriate care.

Also receiving a reward for its dedicated work to the CIT program is the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Intervention Team. The team is made up of law enforcement officers from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Fayetteville Police Department and Fort Bragg Military Police. The agencies were praised for their work and awarded, Outstanding CIT Partnership of the Year.