MPD sergeant honored for work with people affected by mental illness

MADISON, Wis. — A sergeant with the Madison Police Department has been honored for his efforts to improve the quality of life of people affected by mental illness.

NAMI Dane County awarded Sergeant Jared Prado the CIT Officer of the Year Award. The award is presented to an officer for outstanding  service to the community, while embodying  fair and kind treatment for people with mental illness and working to proactively de-escalate situations.

Sergeant Prado currently oversees MPD's Mental Health Unit.  The unit formed in 2015 and has six full-time officers and three embedded Law Enforcement Crisis Workers. The unit is supported by Mental Health Liaison Officers. The unit assists patrol officers on calls for service and strives to uphold the values of problem-solving and diversion.

Mental Health Officers have to complete 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, which is a NAMI initiative designed to improve the outcomes of police interactions with people living with mental illness. The training all MPD officers receive at the Academy on mental health and behavioral health crisis topics surpasses the national standard for specialist mental health officers.

"Jared's passion, dedication and empathy for those suffering from mental illness is lauded and appreciated.  He deeply cares about people and his compassion is felt in our community," said Community Outreach Captain Shannon Blackamore.