NAMI Officer of the Year

CPL. STEPHEN CRAFTON, LEFT, IS SHOWN WITH SHERIFF KEVIN RAMBOSK AT THE DECEMBER 8 NAMI AWARDS CEREMONY
WHERE HE WAS NAMED CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM OFFICER OF THE YEAR FOR 2015. PHOTO BY CPL. EFRAIN HERNANDEZ/CCSO

A Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been honored for his ability to assist students  with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
The Collier County chapter of the National  Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently named  Cpl. Stephen Crafton as Crisis Intervention Team  (CIT) Officer of the Year for 2015.

Cpl. Crafton was selected from more than 600  CIT-trained officers in Collier County.

Crisis intervention team training is a program  that was specifically designed to improve the way  law enforcement and the community respond  to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Originally established as collaboration between  NAMI Memphis, Tenn., and Memphis police, the  training has now inspired 2,800 communities in 45  states across the country to offer this program. The  Collier County NAMI chapter has had more than  900 CIT graduates.

Sheriff Kevin Rambosk has made CIT training a  priority for CCSO. Nearly every member of CCSO  has been trained, including all command staff.

Cpl. Crafton is very involved with the students at  Gulfview Middle School, where he has been assigned  as a youth relations  deputy for the past three years. He interacts with them  daily, promoting positive relationships between law enforcement and students.

His special attention to the emotional/behavioral disabilities (EBD) classroom  has made a notable impact on the special needs students at the school.

Cpl. Crafton’s daily routine has helped foster a positive rapport among the  students, staff and himself, which has led to a nurturing environment in the EBD  Unit. On any given day, Cpl. Crafton can be found visiting the EBD students in  the classroom, eating lunch with them and showing interest in their daily activities.

Youth Relations Bureau Sgt. Thad Rhodes said there have been many times  that Cpl. Crafton has been called to the EBD classroom to assist with a student  who was having apparent difficulty getting through their day.

“Cpl. Crafton’s calm demeanor and understanding of how to get on the  students’ level to communicate has de-escalated a number of incidences which  could have resulted in a problematic situation for the school,” Sgt. Rhodes wrote  in his letter nominating Cpl. Crafton for the award.

One of the problems Cpl. Crafton faces on a daily basis is a student from  the EBD classroom running off campus. His immediate response to students  running off campus has effectively demonstrated his desire to ensure the safety of  all students at the school, regardless of the situation, said Sgt. Rhodes.

Cpl. Crafton’s rapport with EBD students has led to a decrease in the number of incidents in the classroom, said Sgt. Rhodes.
“The students in the EBD Unit have developed a supportive relationship  with Cpl. Crafton, and when struggling to get through their day have asked their  teachers if they can visit with Cpl. Crafton to cool down,” said Sgt. Rhodes.