Captain Williams Recognized as Coordinator of the Year
Linden Police Department
Captain Abdul Williams of the Linden Police Department was recently honored as the 2020 New Jersey CIT-NJ Coordinator of the Year. This award acknowledges not only his work as Linden’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Coordinator, but also his extensive work organizing Union County’s CIT-NJ program. Captain Williams is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) and has served as an organizer, promoter, and presenter at CIT classes in Union County and throughout New Jersey since 2011; his work has been instrumental in ensuring community support and participation in the CIT program, as well as in managing the growth and sustainability of CIT-NJ as a successful community program.
“Captain Williams and the Linden Police Department have been pioneers in their commitment to CIT training, and have been valuable partners in their efforts to make the program available to other departments across the county and state,” said New Jersey State Crisis Intervention Director Edward Dobleman.
CIT-NJ is a county based collaboration of law enforcement professionals and mental health professionals who are committed to developing a local system of services that is responsive to individuals with mental illness, family members and the police officers. The CIT-NJ model strives to provide law enforcement officers and mental health professionals with knowledge and skills that allow them to respond to the individual in psychiatric crisis in a manner that minimizes the potential for injury. In addition, the CIT-NJ model can be instrumental in helping to divert the individual with serious mental illness from the criminal justice system to appropriate mental health treatment.
“Captain William’s commitment to the CIT program is unparalleled,” said Police Chief David Hart. “CIT training gives trained Officers the tools and resources so they can resolve the situation and get individuals in touch with the resources they need in the safest way possible. We are proud of the incredible work Captain Williams has done to share this important training across the county and state.”
