CONYERS, Ga. — More than 100 employees of the Conyers Police Department will be able to participate in Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training thanks to a $60,000 grant from State of Georgia Law Enforcement Training Program.

Law enforcement officers are called on daily to intervene in mental health and crisis situations. ICAT training helps these officers to be better prepared for such interactions.

“There is nothing more valuable, nothing more important to protect, than human life and this training is a tool to help preserve that life,” Deputy Chief Scott Freeman said. “We’re thankful to the State of Georgia and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for being able and willing to support our initiative to protect those we serve.”

ICAT training is scenario based, hands-on training designed to help gather necessary information and create an environment for the best possible outcome during situations that can evolve very quickly.  A Conyers Police Department spokesperson said all department personnel including; 911 communications operators, police officers, and supervisors would take part in the training.

“ICAT is just one piece of a larger response for dealing with people who are in a crisis situation from the Conyers Police Department,” the spokesperson stated in a news release. “The department requires all officers attend Crisis Intervention Team training and has implemented three less lethal restraint and control force options over the past two years. The added tools include a wrap immobilization device that’s designed to restrain combative persons who may harm themselves during transport, weapons that deploy foam projectiles, and the Bola Wrap that can be used to entangle a subject’s arms and legs from a distance allowing less force to be used to restrain an individual.”