Zach Reaves, MTN Reporter
September 25th, 2020
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Tennessee (NAMI Tennessee) named the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) and Chief of Police Michael Bowen as one of the two winners of the 2020 Criminal Justice Award.
The award was presented at the 34th annual NAMI Tennessee Virtual Convention on September 24th.
The award recognizes the person or program that does the best job at de-escalating situations that involve people with mental illness.
The department hosts a 40-hour crisis-intervention training course twice a year where MPD officers and Murfreesboro Emergency Communications Telecommunicators earn their certificate in CIT training.
The award is in honor of Tennessee's own Major Sam Cochran, who fathered the CIT program, Memphis Police Department, and NAMI Memphis. Madison County Sheriff John Mehr is the other winner of the award.