Pender sheriff’s office expands crisis intervention training following concerns over deputy preparedness

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County Sheriff’s Office says it is expanding crisis intervention training for its deputies following concerns raised earlier this year about interactions between law enforcement and people with autism and mental health challenges.

The update comes months after Burgaw resident Edward Bamberger urged the sheriff’s office to increase Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, training for deputies.

Bamberger’s 37-year-old son, Eddie, is autistic and nonverbal. In May, Bamberger told WWAY that fewer than one-quarter of the county’s deputies had completed CIT training, raising concerns about how law enforcement officers might respond during an encounter with someone who has developmental disabilities or a mental health crisis.

Bamberger said his goal was not to criticize the sheriff’s office, but to improve safety for both residents and deputies.

“What’s the matter with him, his arthritis is acting up or something like that. He acts like that in a Walmart parking lot and someone is going to call the police, and then he doesn’t understand, he won’t let Daddy touch him,” Bamberger said. “God forbid law enforcement touch him. … The worst thing could happen. They have to get this training before someone dies and then this county is paying 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 million dollars out for a lawsuit.”

In a statement emailed to WWAY, Sgt. Jeffery Lea said the Pender County Sheriff’s Office is working to ensure all sworn personnel receive Crisis Intervention Team training and certification.

Lea said the agency’s leadership remains focused on having all sworn deputies trained in the CIT program by the end of the year.

Crisis Intervention Team training is designed to help law enforcement officers safely recognize and respond to people experiencing mental health crises or those with developmental or intellectual disabilities, to improve outcomes for everyone involved in those encounters.