On September 21st one of our Bothell Police Officers was honored at the 2016 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Conference in Tacoma. Officer Erik Martin received the CIT Award. The person that nominated Officer Martin was a mother of a child that is autistic and highlighted the personal steps Officer Martin has taken to help her son deal with his episodes. Clearly, he has been a very positive influence in the life of this young boy and his family.
Officers from around the state were nominated for this award for their great work dealing with persons who are in mental/emotional crisis. Most officers in the state have attended a 40 hour training class on how to approach, work with, and resolve incidents involving people who are experiencing crisis. Officer Martin is an excellent example of how officers can apply this training to their day to day work. In addition to his work with members of our community experiencing crisis, Officer Martin is our department “Homeless Czar” and works with Public Works, Parks, and other regional partners to ensure the homeless population in our city receive the assistance they need.
Officer Martin is the second officer from the Bothell Police Department to win this award. We are very proud of the work our officers are doing in this area.