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As part of my work for the Montgomery County Pre-Release and Reentry Services Division of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, I have had the opportunity to complete the Montgomery County Police Department's 40-hours program in Crisis Intervention Training.

This program is designed to acquaint police and other public safety workers to recognize certain mental illnesses and deal with mental health scenarios ("County police join frontlines in mental health," Feb. 4 article).

This program provided me with an excellent training experience and Office Joan Logan, the program coordinator, is to be commended for offering this training.

The issue of how public safety agencies address and assist those people with mental illnesses is a difficult one and our jails and prisons often warehouse those needing mental health treatment.

Montgomery County government is a leader in providing a continuum of care from our public safety and mental health/crisis center agencies.

Mental health care providers are associated with all of our correctional agencies and provide great assistance to both clients and staff alike to address mental health concerns. To paraphrase the late Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

Hillel Raskas, Kensington