Police Chief James Babu poses with Sondrea Surette-Narcisse, the operations director of Crisis Intervention Training at Open Sky Community Services. (Courtesy photo)
Police Chief James Babu was recently honored with an award from Open Sky Community Services for his ongoing work in supporting crisis intervention training for Harvard’s police officers. Open Sky is a Worcester-based organization that provides more than 100 programs across Central Massachusetts to help people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and other complex issues. Awards were presented to Babu and four other Central Massachusetts police leaders at the Open Sky banquet in late June.
With Babu’s support, all Harvard police officers have completed a 40-hour course in crisis intervention training (CIT), which focuses on how to respond in situations where someone is having a mental health crisis or other challenging event. The training emphasizes de-escalating such situations without the use of force whenever possible.
In a post on the Harvard Police Department’s Facebook page, Babu wrote, “Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is transforming the way we serve. It’s about meeting people where they are, listening with empathy, and responding with care. When police and mental health professionals unite, we can prevent tragedies, build trust, and strengthen our communities.”
“I’m a strong proponent of the program,” Babu told the Press. He supports the training for officers at all levels of experience. He said CIT was “an eye-opener,” even for veteran officers in the department. “Every single one of them said, ‘Wow—this is great training.’” The only other Central Massachusetts town where all officers have completed CIT training, Babu said, is Gardner.
