RVC Police Receive Suicide Awareness Training

On March 13th & 14th, Police Commissioner James Vafeades and the Rockville Centre Police Department held an important suicide awareness training event for their officers. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training – ASIST – conducted a two-day workshop for RCPD officers that educated them on how to help prevent suicide in our community. The training is meant to increase mental health awareness and act as a suicide first aid course. Commissioner Vafeades said, “The training our officers received is an invaluable tool in the fight against suicide. It allows us to provide support to those in crisis and help our community. This training gave our officers insight into better ways to help those in need. I’d like to thank the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation for setting it up and for initiating a relationship between the foundation and the police department, specifically John and Mary O’Shea and Kathy Baxley.”

Approximately one-third of the police department participated in this training and due to its success, the remaining officers will be trained later in the year.

For more information view the RVC Police website.