The Wake Forest Police Department recently named Det. Brian Loveless as the 2014 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year.
A specialized law enforcement program, the CIT is a partnership between 17 Wake County law enforcement agencies, Wake County Human Services and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The initiative is designed to develop a more effective, compassionate and safer approach to interacting with people suffering from a mental illness or developmental disability crisis.
The CIT provides 40 hours of specialized training to sworn law enforcement officers. The training helps officers identify individuals in a mental health crisis and utilize effective techniques to deescalate crisis situations. As a result, there are fewer incidents of incarceration of persons with mental illness for misdemeanor charges, and fewer injuries to both officers and individuals with mental illness. In Wake County, more than 500 officers have been certified.
“Det. Loveless was selected due to both the passion and calmness he displays when dealing with persons in the midst of a crisis event,” said Police Chief Jeff Leonard. “He has assisted countless individuals in our community who have come to him later, even while he is off duty, and thanked him for his assistance.”
Every law enforcement agency in Wake County selects its CIT Officer of the Year.
Det. Loveless was also selected as the 2014 Wake County CIT Co-Officer of the Year.
