Enhance and Expand Rio Arriba County's Comprehensive CIT Training Program

Rio Arriba County is a high desert rural community located in northern New Mexico; it is one of the poorest counties in a state ranked with the third highest poverty rate in the nation. This project will enable the Rio Arriba County's Health and Human Services Department, the Española Police Department, the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Mexico State Police to collaborate on a comprehensive crisis intervention and response training program that will train and certify at least 60 officers, dispatchers, and case managers on annual basis over a 3-year period with a goal of increasing training participants understanding of behavioral health conditions and disabilities, as well as, their ability to develop empathy, to assist individuals in navigating community resources, and to increase de-escalation skills.