Pickaway Sheriff’s Office Receives CIT Program Award

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(Chillicothe) – The Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board has announced that Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded the CIT Program of the Year award. Sheriff Hafey accepted the award at the Ohio Crisis Intervention Team Conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Quest Conference Center in Columbus. This conference is sponsored by NAMI Ohio, Ohio CIT, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence at Neo Med. 

The CIT Program of the Year award recognizes a crisis intervention team that has made a significant impact in their community and demonstrates a strong commitment to achieving the goals of Ohio CIT programs. This award honors Sheriff Hafey and his department’s commitment to CIT and the values of collaboration, community, and justice. 

“Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey not only has the heart to serve those with behavioral health needs in his community, but he also gives his CIT officers the freedom and support to grow their CIT program in a way that benefits all,” said Melanie Swisher, Executive Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board. “The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office has made great strides to reduce stigma and to provide person-centered interventions and follow up on referrals for those in a behavioral health crisis.”

Hafey explained he believes CIT programs are critical for everyone working in public safety.

“More, now than ever, we encounter individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis,” Hafey said. “In the past, education on mental health disorders was largely a foreign concept for public safety officials. I am so happy that this has changed not only here in Pickaway County, but across the country. We now focus more on facilitating contacts with those individuals or agencies who can provide services for the people in crisis. I am extremely proud of the men and women who work for the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and for the dedication they have shown to assist someone in a mental health crisis with getting the help they need.”