Ohio Police Officer Receives International Award
Wooster, Ohio: August 31, 2021—NAMI Wayne and Holmes Counties and the City of Wooster Police Department recently received international attention. Patrolman Jerome Fatzinger, was nominated and chosen as the International CIT Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Officer Fatzinger is a member of the Wayne/Holmes Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Advisory Council. Jerome and NAMI Wayne-Holmes Executive Director, Helen Walkerly, attended the CIT International Conference in Phoenix, AZ in August, where Jerome was honored and given his award. Over a thousand professionals were in attendance to observe his recognition and hear about the circumstance that led to his nomination and selection.
Wooster Police Department’s Assistant Chief Scott Rotolo summarized a call to the home of a young male who was threatening suicide and had a firearm in his possession. “As a CIT officer, Patrolman Fatzinger was called to the scene to initiate contact with the young man. Many Wooster PD officers were on the scene to assist but Patrolman Fatzinger was the one who used the skills he learned during CIT to eventually bring a truly dangerous situation to a peaceful resolution. Just prior to Patrolman Fatzinger making contact with the person in crisis he spoke to the man’s parent. He was told that his son was barricaded upstairs in the house, had a gun, and wanted to die. Moreover, Patrolman Fatzinger was told that the male had a plan to come outside with the gun and force the police to shoot him. Patrolman Fatzinger called the male using a cell phone and immediately began his attempts to deescalate him. He spoke to him for over forty-five minutes, all the while using the skills he learned as a CIT officer to gain his trust and to work toward getting him to understand we were there to help him. Patrolman Fatzinger was able to successfully build this foundation of trust to the point where the male agreed to leave the gun in the house and come outside to get the help he so desperately needed.”
According to Rotolo, Patrolman Fatzinger, was “calm, patient, and compassionate the entire time. His actions epitomize what being a CIT officer is all about and this man is alive and a peaceful resolution was made. During this incident, several officers worked as a team; however, at the center of it all was Patrolman Fatzinger using his de-escalation skills as a CIT officer. These types of situations are arguably the most dangerous and unpredictable ones we encounter. In this instance our training worked and I’m extremely proud of Jerome for what he did. I’m equally proud of the leadership and passion Patrolman Fatzinger shows for the CIT program as well as the mental health of all his brothers and sisters in law enforcement.”
NAMI Wayne and Holmes Counties Director and local CIT Coordinator, Helen Walkerly states “this scenario is just one example of the fine CIT Officer that Jerome is in the line of duty. Since taking the 40-Hour CIT training in 2010, Jerome immediately got involved in the CIT Advisory Council and the local training program. He says that by attending this training and becoming involved with the CIT Program he has found his “Why” as a police officer. Jerome has worked tirelessly to help grow the local program. He participates in the trainings, for law enforcement officers, EMS/Fire, and Dispatch; he teaches sections during the course. In April, Patrolman Fatzinger was presented with the 2021 State of Ohio CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Officer of the Year award and was named the Wayne-Holmes CIT Officer of the Year in 2015. In 2019, the local program was awarded Ohio CIT Program of the Year. “
“Jerome is a mentor to other law enforcement officers in both Wayne and Holmes Counties and is thought of as the “go to” officer for the CIT model of intervention. He has started a Law Enforcement Peer Support Group for officers and a Liaison Group for Administrators. His compassion led him to initiate the “Chat with a Cop” program at our local MOCA House recovery center to break down barriers between officers and persons with mental illness. In 2020, when a CIT Officer in the county died by suicide, he was the first to be contacted and provided support to officers of that law enforcement agency. He also participated in the Critical Incident Stress Management process provided for that agency.”
Jerome’s CIT International award states “In recognition of your dedicated service to people living with mental illnesses, to the mental health community and to law enforcement.” He epitomizes this and is a treasure in our local community.
What Works in My Community Videos
Did you miss the What Works in My Community live event on July 29th? The program videos from the four organizations that were featured during the event are available anytime on the NAMI Ohio YouTube Page. Watch Now
Featured Programs
Murtis Taylor Human Services System, Cleveland
Murtis Taylor Human Services System is a county-wide United Way charitable organization that provides Behavioral Health, Addiction,Youth, Family, and Senior services. Murtis Taylor Human Services System serves more than 11,000 children and adults annually at twelve locations. Murtis Taylor Human Services System achieves its mission by having a significant bond to its neighborhoods and building upon the strengths of the community. It moves individuals and communities toward optimal health by diminishing the effects of illness, discrimination, bias, and poverty through innovation, partnership and research.
African American Male Wellness Agency
The mission of the African American Male Wellness Agency is to increase the life expectancy of African American men in physical health, mental health, financial health, fatherhood and research. They provide educational programming and resources that are essential to improving the overall physical wellbeing of the African American male and his family.
Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) is the largest and longest-standing organization in Ohio solely dedicated to serving and supporting queer youth. They work to provide a safer place, programming, and leadership opportunities so that youth can be free to explore who they are and empowered to become their confident, truest self. Their services include support groups, housing support, legal support, transportation assistance, mental health counseling, and more.
The Buckeye Ranch – Somali Outreach Program
The Somali Outreach Program provides culturally-specific, intensive, and non-intensive clinical and case management services. Through the use of Somali-speaking interpreters, they provide support for Somali children, youth, and families struggling with symptoms related to loss, trauma, and resettlement, as well as issues that are common to the process of merging two or more cultures. This program also connects Somali families to community resources specific to their needs. The staff has been trained to provide 24-hour crisis support and intervention.
Judge Joyce Campbell re-elected to serve on the Board of NAMI National
The Board of Directors and staff of NAMI Ohio is thrilled that Judge Joyce Campbell, NAMI Ohio Board President, has been re-elected to serve on the Board of NAMI National.
NAMI Ohio Executive Director Terry Russell stated, “Judge Campbell’s background as a former police officer, a judge in Butler County, and a tenured member of the NAMI Ohio Board of Directors gives her the expertise to help NAMI grow throughout the country.”
Congratulations Judge Campbell.
NAMI Ohio Praises the Governor and General Assembly for Supporting Those with Mental Illness and their Families
The National Alliance on Mental Illness for Ohio commends Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly for their focus in the 2022/2023 State Budget on the continued commitment to the most vulnerable in Ohio – those with serious mental illness.
“The biennial budget signed last night is a huge step forward in moving us to a person-centered approach by investing in care coordination and housing with an enhanced focus on adults with serious mental illness. Gov. DeWine and Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Lori Criss made good on their promise to help cure the fragmented system of care by providing basic supports within the mental health delivery system,” said Terry Russell, Executive Director of NAMI Ohio. The $11 million investment to strengthen cross-system collaboration begins to address issues such as continued readmissions into inpatient hospitals, the revolving cycle of repeated incarcerations, and lack of transition as those with serious mental illness seek to live full lives in the community. “Furthermore, NAMI looks forward to working with Governor and the General Assembly to maintain this safety net funding for those with serious mental illness.”
Also, NAMI Ohio applauds the administration’s efforts to improve group homes for those with serious mental illness by a $12 million allocation to improve the quality of these homes. “Help could not come at a better time with limited housing options and a freeze on admissions due to COVID-19. The administration committed a sizable amount of time, energy, and resources to ensure the 700+ group homes had testing, PPEs, and vaccinations,” stated Russell.
The budget is further evidence of the commitment to serve those with severe and persistent mental illness through a focus on community-based supports beyond what the current system is providing. “It shows how Gov. DeWine and Lt .Gov. Jon Husted listened to the cries of individuals and their families we represent,” said Russell.
NAMI Ohio also applauds Gov. DeWine’s veto of a provision in the budget that would have reduced the requirement for individuals with lived experience with mental health issues from serving on county alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health boards. “NAMI Ohio opposed the change included in the budget bill sent to Gov. DeWine because it played into the stigma toward those with mental illness by reducing their voice on local County ADAMH Boards. NAMI Ohio is open to a thorough discussion regarding the role, size of ADAMH Boards, and the type of categories required under the existing law. As the largest consumer and family group in the State, we think more voices of those impacted by serious mental illness is needed, not less.”
For Ohio’s citizens whose lives have been invaded by mental illness, we must be seen no differently than other health care issues. The approved State Budget is another step towards enhancing the quality of life of those living with mental illness and their families.
Law Prohibiting the Execution of People with SPMI – First Case
The first case in Ohio and the nation under a new law prohibiting the execution of people with serious and persistent mental illness has been decided in Franklin County,
David Braden will be removed from Death Row following a joint agreement between the office of Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, attorney Kathryn Sandford of the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, and Dublin attorney Steven M. Brown.
Braden will spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole.
The reason for the action is Braden was diagnosed to have “serious mental illness,” specifically paranoid schizophrenia with delusions when he committed two murders in Columbus in 1998. He was sentenced to death for killing his girlfriend, Denise Roberts, and her father, Ralph Heimlich.
House Bill 136, a new state law long advocated for by the National Alliance for Mental Illness Ohio, was signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on April 12, 2021. The law prevents the state from executing someone who had a persistent mental illness at the time of the crime “that significantly impaired the person’s capacity to exercise rational judgment in relation to the person’s conduct.”
Psychiatrists who examined Braden told the court he was “intimidating, decompensated under stress, and had delusions of being a prophet of God.” He is now being treated in prison with antipsychotic medications.
Ohio is the first state in the U.S. to pass a law banning the execution of the mentally ill. However, similar legislation is pending in other states, including Florida, which is modeling its proposal on Ohio’s law.
Read more about this case on The Columbus Dispatch website at https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2021/06/24/columbus-murderer-first-inmate-spared-death-penalty-under-new-state-law/5320849001/