Clark County officers recognized for excellence in crisis intervention

A Clark County woman said her family suffers with depression and without the help of one Clark County Sheriff’s deputy she might be visiting her son’s grave today.

But thanks to the intervention of Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Holly Risner, her son didn’t commit suicide and is alive. Risner was recognized for her contributions, along with Springfield Police Division’s Chanelle Matthews, with the Crisis Intervention Team’s Officer of the Year award during the program’s graduation ceremony Friday afternoon.

Risner was lauded for helping 34 people at risk for suicide this year.

“She’s the person who has personally talked to 34 people who have been contemplating suicide, harming themselves, and it’s her special gift she brings to serve our community,” Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly said.

Kelly said his office gets more than 300 calls about people at risk of suicide each year, nearly one a day.

This is the ninth year of the training and he said deputies from his department have been part of every class.

“It deals with people who have mental illness issues,” Kelly said. “This training is part of what law enforcement needs today.”

One of those 34 people Risner has helped this year was Rebecca McNary’s son.

“I’m just grateful to have my son still, and I don’t think he’d be here otherwise,” McNary said. “She is one to go above and beyond the call of duty to help people, and that is the kind of people we need in the world.”

“It just comes naturally,” Risner said. “I’ve dealt with struggles myself, so it helps when you understand people.”

Risner talked to the entire family and reduced everyone’s stress, McNary said.

“You can be tucked into a little place in the country and feel like you are out of touch completely with the rest of the world,” McNary said. “Then someone steps in like Deputy Risner and it helps. It helps a lot.”

McNary said she suffers from depression and has had suicidal thoughts in her life as well. She said she could relate to Robin Williams’ recent death.

“I’ve thought about it so many times,” McNary said. “You get to a point where you only see the negative and it becomes just too much. You can’t take anymore.”

Matthews, meanwhile, is a school resource officer in the Springfield City School District and deals with students and parents that are in crisis.

Her supervisor praised her for her listening and communication skills that have helped calm people down and avoid crisis in Springfield schools.

More than 30 officers from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Police Division, Wittenberg University Police and Security, the Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Fairborn, Xenia, Yellow Springs and London police departments, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Grandview Medical Center all graduated from the crisis intervention team training Friday.

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