Officer Tony Minchella Receives Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year Award for Holly Springs Police Department
Apr 23, 2018
On March 22, 2018, one of our members, Officer Tony Minchella received the Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year Award for the Holly Springs Police Department. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is an innovative police-based first responder program that has become nationally known as the "Memphis Model" of pre-arrest jail diversion for those in a mental illness crisis. This program provides law enforcement-based crisis intervention training for helping those individuals with mental illness. Involvement in CIT is voluntary and based in the patrol division of the police department. In addition, CIT works in partnership with those in mental health care to provide a system of services that is friendly to the individuals with mental illness, family members, and the police officers. Officer Laura Fernandez, Lt. Jessica McMillan, Captain Jay Burner, Sgt. Alan Laws and the CIT Coordinator for Criminal Justice from Alliance Health, Roosevelt Richard, were on hand to congratulate Officer Minchella for receiving this well-earned recognition. Help us in applauding Officer Minchella for a job well done!
Officer Minchella states:
“I am extremely grateful to receive this award and recognition. I’d like to thank everyone in my department who have helped me throughout my career, the PBA and the other outstanding officers in Wake county who received this award as well. I would also like to note the countless number of officers across the country who go out every day and night giving it their all and constantly do great work, without any recognition.”
Officer Minchella grew up in a small town just outside of New York City. Several of his family members were and still are NYPD, so his appreciation for law enforcement has always been there. He also had other family friends that were also police officers in the area as well.
Officer Minchella states:
“My town that I grew up in had a good police department and my friends and I would love seeing them drive down our street. Occasionally, officers would stop and interact with us as well which was awesome.”
He moved to North Carolina when he was in high school. One summer he was able to get involved with the Holly Springs PD youth academy.
He graduated from ECU with a degree in Criminal Justice. In order to graduate, he had to do an internship. While asking a Holly Springs lieutenant if he could be used as a reference for his internship applications, he suggested that he intern with their department.
He interned with Holly Springs Police Department for a semester and it consisted of riding around with officers and seeing what they do on a daily basis. He observed SRT training and also helped revise and proof read some department policies. When his internship was complete, he didn’t think he was at all capable of being a police officer but the guys at the department thought differently. A little over year later he was hired as a police officer. He is currently an FTO and the CIT member and very grateful to be a part of the Holly Springs Police Department.
North Carolina Division
