WASHINGTON — Calls to 911 for mental health crises happen more frequently than most people realize: On Dec. 23, for example, the Fairfax County police received 43 domestic-related calls and 16 calls for people having a mental crisis.

Now, police recruits at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy are getting specialized training to help them deal with crisis situations involving the mentally ill, or veterans who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Loudoun County has been a leader when it comes to what’s known as Crisis Intervention Team training. Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman says CIT has been around 25 years, and that since he became sheriff four years ago, more than 200 of his deputies have gotten the training.

Chapman says the training teaches recruits to focus on de-escalating the situation.

Instructors from the Loudoun County CIT program are teaching the eight-hour introductory course to police academy recruits.

Chapman says CIT is a critical asset for law enforcement, and that it’s critical for new recruits to understand how important it is to recognize when a person may be suffering a behavioral crisis.

Although crime is down in Loudoun County, Chapman says, “Any use-of-force complaints are very, very low, almost nonexistent.” He attributes that in part to the CIT training that his deputies, and police officers in the county, have gotten.