Braintree Police Officer Honored By County For Mental Health Work

BRAINTREE, MA — A Braintree police officer was recognized by Norfolk County for his efforts in crisis intervention and mental health training and response.

Police Chief Mark Dubois said Officer Jay St. Ives received the Commendation for Excellence in CIT on Tuesday from the Norfolk County Crisis Intervention Team Training and Technical Assistance Center. The award recognizes excellent work by officers in the areas of crisis intervention, de-escalation and mental health response.

Dubois said St. Ives has been great ally for Braintree residents in need. Throughout his time with Braintree police, St. Ives has worked with Jail Diversion Program Clinician Megan Scott to provide assistance during mental health incidents. He has also worked with Manet Community Health on follow-up appointments with people post drug overdose.

St. Ives is involved in the Braintree Crisis Intervention Training program and works with officers on mental health first aid training. He helped train and educate officers from both Braintree and surrounding towns in these areas.

"Officer St. Ives has shown admirable dedication to helping those struggling with mental health issues, substance use and more," Dubois said. "He has also had an important and valuable role in training fellow officers in crisis intervention and mental health response, which are difficult aspects of an officer's job. Officer St. Ives is incredibly deserving of this commendation, and we are pleased to see him recognized for his work."

St. Ives was presented with the commendation by Brookline Police Lt. Jennifer Paster, Brookline Police Sgt. Chris Malinn and clinician Annabel Lane of the Norfolk County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training and Technical Assistance Center, a training center within the Brookline Police Department. The group provides resources and training for officers and departments within Norfolk County dedicated to crisis intervention and mental health response.

St. Ives has been with the Braintree Police Department since 2018 and is also part of the department's Community Outreach Unit.