River Ridge Behavioral Health celebrated its most recent Crisis Response and Intervention Training class graduation Friday at First Baptist Church of Vicksburg.

The CIT class brings together law enforcement representatives from the areas serviced by River Ridge and focuses on how to best handle situations involving mental illness across a variety of scenarios and facets of the diagnosis.

Represented in Friday’s class were members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO); Yazoo City Police Department (YCPD); Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO); Fayette Police Department (FPD); Vicksburg Police Department (VPD); Yazoo County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO); and Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) Police Department.

Local law enforcement graduating from the class included WCSO deputy Milton Goza, VWSD police officer Rodney Lehman and VPD officers Robert Scott and Lee Chester Williams.

Serving as the graduation’s keynote speaker was United Way of West Central Mississippi Executive Director and Vicksburg resident Michele Connelly.

“I commend you for your dedication, your hard work and your unwavering commitment to enhancing your ability to serve and protect our communities,” Connelly said. “Over the course of this training, you’ve covered some of the most vital, yet undiscussed issues, in our society. The knowledge that you’ve gained won’t just improve your interactions with people in crisis, but will help create a safer, more compassionate environment for everyone.”

Other graduating members of Friday’s class included ACSO deputies Deselle Daivs, Zebulon Drake, Garion King and John Nix; YCPD officers Edward Ferrell and Nikosa Moore; FPD officers Jarrett Hampton, LaShawn McMiller and Terrell Walker; and YCSO deputy Ruthie McCoy.