The state university of new york (SUNY) at geneseo proposes to implement the project, empowering first responders serving students with intellectual or developmental disabilities at SUNY geneseo

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY), doing business as SUNY Geneseo, received a $248,746 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. The project, titled "Empowering First Responders Serving Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities at SUNY Geneseo," aims to enhance police officer and first-responder preparedness to improve responses to individuals in crisis who have behavioral health conditions or intellectual/developmental disabilities at the SUNY Geneseo campus. Key project activities include developing and implementing a Collaborative Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) curriculum for campus officers, first-responders, and local law enforcement. Expected outcomes include producing a CRIT curriculum implementation guide, establishing a partnership between law enforcement and mental health providers to serve as trainers, and completing CRIT training for 80-100 personnel. The project will also strengthen relationships between the university police department, student support services, and the surrounding community.

Located in the finger lakes region, SUNY geneseo, the village of geneseo, and livingston county, are considered rural. Area law enforcement have fewer mental health and special needs professionals and agencies to work in partnership on training employing best practices in police-mental health collaborations. The purpose of this project is to enhance and expand police officer and first-responder preparedness to improve responses to individuals in crisis who have behavioral health conditions or intellectual, developmental disabilities at SUNY geneseo. Project activities include developing and implementing the collaborative crisis response and intervention training (CRIT) curriculum for campus officers, first-responders, village and county law enforcement. Expected outcomes include: (1) the production of an implementation guide for the CRIT curriculum training at SUNY geneseo; (2) the establishment of a partnership between law enforcement and mental health providers to serve as CRIT curriculum trainers; (3) the development of a personalized CRIT curriculum for SUNY geneseo and area law enforcement and first-responder training; (3) the completion of CRIT training for 80 to 100 university police officers, first-responders, and area law enforcement personnel; (4) improved perceptions among students with neurodivergence toward law enforcement and emergency response services, and (5) strengthened relationships between the university police department and SUNY geneseo's student support service departments, and between the university with the surrounding community. SUNY geneseo police officers, first responders, mental health and accessibility staff, students, village and county law enforcement are the intended beneficiaries of the project. Subrecipient activities involve providing training to geneseo village and livingston county law enforcement personnel.