School Resource Officer Daniel Hefty Recognized at Fort Atkinson Common Council Meeting

According to an update from the City of Fort Atkinson, at last night’s City Council meeting, School Resource officer Daniel Hefty was recognized for being selected for the Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year Award, which recognizes law enforcement officers who go above and beyond to assist residents with mental health and substance use issues. CIT training promotes finding solutions while reducing the stigma of mental illness. Goals of training include improving officer and consumer safety and to redirect individuals with mental illness from the judicial system to the healthcare system. In Jefferson County, Human Services has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness over the past 12 years to deliver the nationally recognized, 40-hour CIT training course for police officers. Seventeen of the twenty Fort Atkinson Police Department officers are NAMI trained and certified in crisis intervention.