Officer B. Harris named 2022 CIT Officer of the Year

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) recently named Officer B. Harris as its 2022 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 CIT-certified, and every law enforcement agency may select a CIT Officer of the Year.

“Officer Harris has assisted a variety of people in our community, including one who was contemplating suicide,” said Lt. C. Minor. “Officer Harris' positive demeanor and outstanding knowledge have led to numerous successes, including a positive outcome for the individual who was considering suicide.”

He continued, “Officer Harris demonstrates the Wake Forest Police Department’s core values of courage, honor, and integrity in utilizing his crisis intervention skills to help those in a crisis event. For those reasons and more, we are pleased to recognize him as our 2022 CIT Officer of the Year.”