Front Royal Police request funding to deal with mentally-ill suspects

Royal Examiner reporter McCarthy Andrews speaks with Front Royal Police Chief Kahle Magalis about the purpose the CITAC will serve for our community. Photo and video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.

In the Town Council meeting held on August 5, a formal request for the use of a CITAC center was proposed. Front Royal Police Chief Kahle Magalis requested the approval of a budget amendment to reimburse the expense associated with police salaries in a partnership with a regional Crisis Intervention Assessment Center (CITAC) in collaboration with Northwestern Community Services and Valley Health Systems.

“The problem is that if there is a case or incident where the subject’s mental health is in question there is a timeframe of four hours in which the subject needs to be taken to a proper facility; they have to be treated medically and it is the officer’s responsibility to transport this person to the proper location, which takes the officer away from his duties on the street,” Chief Magalis explained.

What the partnership with CITAC will provide is an easy and safe transition for mentally ill subjects to be detained, many times for their own safety.

This project aims to protect mentally ill subjects and get them the treatment they need, while also allowing the officers to get back on the streets and back to their jobs of protecting the community.

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Several other important changes to the community were also brought to light. A presentation by Jeff Mitchell introduced council to new changes in financial accounting laws and budgeting; a proposed lease of space for a Probation and Parole District, and the new recycling laws on single stream were also discussed. The council discussed What residents can do to make sure that their recycling is actually taken such as removing tape from cardboard boxes and plastic labels from water bottles. (more on that later).